Towards the end of 2023, Ubora Foundation Africa was privileged to be awarded a large global capacity-building grant in partnership with Eye Health Africa to advance capacity building and improve neonatal care in Bunyoro Sub-region. This grant was awarded by the Tropical Health and Education Trust with funding from the National Health Services England (NHS). The grant predominantly focused on enhancing the capacity of neonatal nurses, midwives, and clinical ophthalmic officers to screen for Retinopathy of Prematurity among premature babies delivered at the hospital. The inspiration for this project was based on different factors, such as the absence of ROP screening services across the country and Sub-Saharan Africa as a whole and the increase in the number of premature babies delivered globally with a larger proportion of these premature babies delivered in low- and middle-income countries.

Estimates from the 2022/2023 Annual Health Sector Performance report produced by the Ugandan Ministry of Health demonstrate that Hoima Regional Referral Hospital had an estimated 6,709 live births with 356 neonatal deaths (deaths occurring between 8-28 days of life). Premature deliveries occur when the pregnancy is terminated between 20 to 37 weeks of gestation. The Uganda National Institution of Public Health in 2022 demonstrated that Uganda has a high preterm birth rate estimated at 14 per 1000 live births with a mortality of 8/27 neonatal deaths per 1,000 live births. Evidence demonstrates that Hoima Regional Referral Hospital has an estimated 33% prevalence rate of preterm deliveries with multiple factors predisposing to this occurrence such as UTIs, Hypertension in pregnancy, and malaria in pregnancy among others. Once a baby is delivered prematurely, they are at risk of developing retinopathy of prematurity a condition involving the development of immature blood vessels in the retina of the developing eye. These immature blood vessels can eventually lead to early childhood blindness which impacts the child's life as they grow and develop later in life.

The project was further inspired by the increasing rates of early childhood blindness. Also, the project focuses on blended oxygen provision to premature babies at Hoima Regional Referral Hospital since the facility lacks equipment that offers blended oxygen to premature babies. As Ubora Foundation Africa, we believe that this project shall be crucial in equipping the healthcare workers with skills and knowledge about ROP screening and improving the overall healthcare status of premature babies at the facility through equipment, such as bubble CPAPs, an oxygen blender, and an oxygen concentrator donation. We believe that this predominantly aligns with our core vision and mission to improve healthcare quality among underserved communities.