KAMPALA, Uganda — The Angel Centre for Children with Special Needs is urgently appealing for sustained domestic support after receiving a donation from Ecobank Uganda, with the center’s director stressing that the “overwhelming” financial and emotional burden of care is unaffordable for most Ugandan families.
The appeal from the Wakiso-based center was issued during the bank’s 13th annual Ecobank Day, where it donated specialized equipment and supplies under the theme “Enabling Inclusive Learning for All.”
Costs Exceed Typical Household Budgets
Rosemary Nambooze-Nuwagaba, the executive director of the Angel Centre, called for a sustained national commitment to supporting families with intellectually disabled children. She emphasized that the non-negotiable costs of providing specialized care routinely push families toward financial distress.
“The cost of raising a child with disability is high because children have extra needs,” Nambooze said. “This facility runs on a term basis… [and] the feeding is quite high. It’s labor intensive to run this center.”
Nambooze detailed that expenses at the center, which supports over 137 children with conditions including Down syndrome and cerebral palsy, go beyond typical household budgets. Key costs include Assistive Devices and Medication, as well as Nutrition as Therapy, explaining that food expenses are high because “nutrition is part of the therapy they give to the children” due to digestive issues.
The Angel Centre, which Nambooze and her husband, Alfred Nuwagaba, started in 2012 after raising their own son with Down syndrome, provides specialized care through residential and community-based programs.
Caregivers Under Pressure
Beyond the direct costs of the children’s needs, Nambooze stressed that the greatest struggle often lies with the caregivers, who face profound social and emotional distress.
“Our greatest task are the caregivers,” she stated. Caregivers often take the longest “to come to terms” with their child’s diagnosis while facing challenges like family breakups and financial distress.
The center provides support to help these parents and relatives realize their children are “profound, very important in the image of God and to the social fabric of society.” Since parents cannot afford to meet the organization’s running costs, the center relies heavily on fundraising and small income-generating activities, such as a pottery farm.
Acknowledging that Ugandans are a “generous nation,” Nambooze issued a personal plea for a deeper, more intentional form of local charity, one that moves beyond one-time giving to a firm, continuous commitment.
“For me, what I believe, if every Ugandan can reach out to a child and a family, not to look at them at a distance, but to see how they can intervene, because I believe every contribution counts,” she said.
Ecobank’s Donation and Appeal
The Angel Centre’s appeal coincided with a significant donation from Ecobank Uganda, which marked its 13th annual day of community service and the Ecobank Group’s 40th anniversary. The bank’s donation included 25 functional tablets, specialized Cerebral Palsy (CP) chairs, and food supplies.
Grace Mulisa, the managing director of Ecobank Uganda, praised the Nuwagabas for their 13 years of dedication that has impacted more than 350 children and families.
“What I’ve seen here is so different from what I had imagined… It gives us such a huge honor to spend Ecobank Day and celebrate today with Angels Center,” Mulisa said. She explained that the tablets and activated learning tools were provided to help the children become more functional, demonstrating Ecobank’s commitment to providing equitable access to education.
Mirroring Nambooze’s call, Mulisa issued a strong appeal to the Ugandan community to increase domestic giving, suggesting that local philanthropy must step up as foreign aid resources become less reliable.
“We can actually build domestic and local aid amongst ourselves as Ugandans and as community,” Mulisa said.
