Zion Medical Community Clinic is a charitable organization that provides healthcare to those living in the Butoto region of Eastern Uganda. Established in 2019, Zion is the only clinic delivering frontline healthcare services to over 5,000 underserved people with extremely limited access to medical care.

Last summer, I had the privilege of volunteering at the Zion Clinic, learning from the doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and social workers who execute the organization’s aim of addressing treatable and preventable diseases in underserved and remote communities. Unfortunately, the Trump administration’s elimination of United States Agency for International Development (USAID) contracts threatens to restrict the essential healthcare services provided by Zion.

Specifically, the administration has planned to cut off US financial support for Gavi , an organization that leads vaccination distribution programs in lower-income countries. Zion Clinic has already felt the effects of USAID cuts as the organization's vaccines are sourced from Gavi. As of late March, the clinic has already encountered shortages with some essential vaccines and issues in vaccine transport and delivery. Countless other health initiatives have or will soon be affected by the current administration's policies, including projects aimed at combating malaria, polio, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and the Ebola virus. These detrimental changes to US foreign policy pose a significant threat to the medical services provided by the Zion Clinic.

Particularly critical to promoting the health of Butoto citizens is the clinic’s immunization program. Zion hosts free vaccination outreaches, where healthcare workers travel to schools and villages to administer routine vaccinations to children following the World Health Organization’s schedule. Individuals from all age groups are also provided with the necessary vaccines as medically required. The clinic currently administers 1,000 immunizations monthly, including vaccines for tuberculosis, Hepatitis B, polio, influenza, whooping cough, diphtheria, blood infections, pneumonia, rotavirus, yellow fever, tetanus, HPV, vitamin A, worms, measles, and meningitis. In April, they plan to receive and administer some of the first Ugandan vaccinations against malaria, which would be a historic step against this deadly disease. Cuts to USAID jeopardize the clinic’s ensured access to life-saving vaccines, endangering those who seek medical care at the clinic.

How You Can Help

Zion’s immunization program costs approximately 2.62 million Ugandan shillings (715 USD) per month.

Your donation can make a direct impact:

To learn more, you can visit the clinic's website.

Please consider helping me to support this organization’s continued mission of saving lives and improving healthcare access in Eastern Uganda by donating today.