PARTNER

Our Focus Areas

Turning Evidence Into National Health System Change

Women’s Health

At the heart of our mission is the empowerment of women through improved health outcomes. Our work in women’s health focuses on delivering comprehensive, evidence-based interventions that address the unique biological, social, and economic challenges women face throughout their lives. We champion access to quality healthcare services, from prevention and early detection to treatment and support for chronic conditions. By integrating community engagement and health systems strengthening, we aim to reduce maternal mortality, combat gender-based violence, and promote mental health and wellbeing. Our approach prioritizes equity, ensuring marginalized and underserved women receive the care they deserve. We believe healthy women are the cornerstone of thriving families and resilient communities, and we strive to create sustainable solutions that enable women to lead healthier, more productive lives.

  • Comprehensive preventive care and screening programs
  • Mental health and psychosocial support services
  • Chronic disease management and health education
  • Gender-responsive healthcare policy advocacy

Across many low- and middle-income countries, life-saving health solutions often fail to reach the communities that need them most — not because the ideas are ineffective, but because health systems lack scalable, sustainable ways to implement them.

At the Makerere University Centre of Excellence for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH), we focus on solving that challenge.

Our innovations are designed beyond the pilot stage. We generate, test, and scale practical solutions that strengthen real-world health systems — from hospitals and district networks to community delivery platforms and national policy frameworks.

By combining implementation science, digital innovation, workforce strengthening, and frontline service delivery, we help governments and partners adopt approaches that improve maternal, newborn, and child health outcomes at scale.

Capacity Building & Mentorship

Capacity Building & Mentorship

Supporting researchers, practitioners, and emerging health leaders through mentorship, training, internships, and collaborative learning opportunities.

Gender Equity and Equality

Gender Equity and Equality

At the MNCH Centre, we recognize that achieving health and development outcomes is impossible without addressing gender disparities. Our work is grounded in the belief that every woman, man, girl, and boy deserves equal opportunities to live a healthy and dignified...

Adolescent Health

Adolescent Health

Adolescents represent a crucial demographic for health interventions, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa where over 23% of the population is aged 10-19 (UNICEF, 2023). Yet, nearly 50% of adolescents lack access to adequate sexual and reproductive health services (WHO,...

Reproductive Health

Reproductive Health

Access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services is fundamental to individual rights and community wellbeing. Yet, according to the Guttmacher Institute (2023), over 200 million women in low- and middle-income countries still lack access to modern...

Maternal Health

Maternal Health

Despite significant progress over the past decades, maternal mortality remains unacceptably high in many low- and middle-income countries. According to the World Health Organization (WHO, 2023), approximately 150 women die every day from preventable complications...

Health and Wellbeing

Health and Wellbeing

Nutrition is foundational to health, growth, and development across the life course, particularly for women, children, and adolescents. According to the Global Nutrition Report (2024), malnutrition remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in low- and...

Newborn, SickBorn, and Child Health

Newborn, SickBorn, and Child Health

The first 28 days of life are the most vulnerable, with nearly 2.4 million newborn deaths occurring globally each year, according to UNICEF’s 2024 data. Stillbirths remain a critical yet often overlooked challenge, with an estimated 2 million occurring worldwide...

Explore the Work Behind the Impact

See how MNCH turns tested innovations into practical initiatives, active projects, and research partnerships that strengthen health systems.

Our Initiatives Research & Projects