The Top Ten Ways St. Jude Children's Home and Lacor Hospital Build Community In Northern Uganda
JUNE 3, 2025
THE TOP TEN WAYS ST. JUDE CHILDREN’S HOME AND LACOR HOSPITAL BUILD COMMUNITY IN NORTHERN UGANDA
In the aftermath of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) conflict, the town of Gulu faced the immense challenge of restoring health and opportunity to its people. St. Jude Children's Home and Lacor Hospital—two institutions in northern Uganda—have been at the heart of this transformation. Social Promise is honored to support their work through funding, partnerships, and global advocacy.
Here are ten ways these institutions are helping rebuild the community:
10. Caring for Vulnerable Children St. Jude Children's Home provides a stable, loving environment for children who have lost family due to war, disease, or poverty. The Home also supports families in crisis by offering short-term care for young children when needed.
9. Changing the Narrative Around Disability St. Jude Children’s Home believes in inclusive care for children with special needs—children who were once hidden or abandoned due to fear and cultural stigma. By integrating them into education and community life, St. Jude challenges these ideas and affirms that every child deserves care and a sense of belonging, regardless of ability.
8. Providing Affordable, High-Quality Medical Care Lacor Hospital provides affordable, high-quality care to over 250,000 patients annually. In post-conflict northern Uganda, where health systems were strained and under-resourced, Lacor's work is essential. Communities cannot rebuild or thrive without accessible healthcare for all.
7. Training Uganda's Next Generation of Health Workers Lacor is home to nursing, laboratory, and clinical officer training programs that empower local youth to become skilled healthcare professionals—building a health system that is locally led and self-sustaining.
6. Expanding Educational Opportunity St. Jude Primary School provides quality education to children residing at the Home and in surrounding communities, equipping them with the knowledge to break the cycle of poverty. After primary school, St. Jude supports residents through secondary school, vocational training, and even university.
5. Growing Food, Skills, and Sustainability at St. Jude's Farm St. Jude's Farm produces food that feeds the children and staff. During school breaks, older students return to the farm, where they gain experience in subsistence farming—a necessary skill in Uganda, where over 80% of the workforce is employed in agriculture.
4. Reuniting Families and Strengthening Community Whenever safe and possible, St. Jude works to trace and reunite children with relatives or extended community members—prioritizing family-based care over long-term institutionalization.
3. Reaching Underserved Villages with Mobile Clinics Lacor Hospital regularly sends mobile health teams into remote areas to provide vaccinations, maternal care, and health education. These outreach efforts extend life-saving services to people who would otherwise be unreachable and help build trust in healthcare systems.
2. Adapting to Serve a Changing Community While their missions remain constant, Lacor Hospital and St. Jude Children's Home continually evolve to meet the changing needs of the community. Whether building new homes, classrooms, and hospital wards or investing in solar energy for reliable service, both institutions respond thoughtfully to the challenges of today while preparing for tomorrow.
1. Inspiring the Next Generation to Give Back Some staff members at Lacor Hospital and St. Jude Children's Home were once patients, students, or residents themselves. The care they received left such a lasting impression that they chose to return and serve others. Their stories are proof that when institutions invest in people with compassion and excellence, those individuals will rise to carry the mission forward for the next generation.