Autonomy
Control over our own work, and the freedom to act on our values.
How MANCO does it: Members choose their training, Centers choose their causes, and every member elects the leaders.
About MANCO
Started by health workers who were tired of watching care stop at the end of the tarmac
MANCO is a charity run by Ugandan nurses and midwives. We take free care to mothers, children and elders in hard to reach villages, and we look after the health workers who do it.
Our story
How it began
In 2019, before anyone had heard of COVID-19, nurses and midwives in Uganda were already stretched. Too few colleagues, too many night shifts, posts left empty. Then the pandemic arrived and made every one of those problems heavier.
A group of nurses and midwives in Rakai District started meeting to ask a simple question: what would it take for us to do our best work, and for that work to reach the mothers, children and grandparents who need it most?
The answer became MANCO. Our founding constitution used the name Midwives and Nurses Voices Uganda (MANVU). Today we are MANCO (Midwives And Nurses Charity Organisation), and we still start every plan with the same question.
Without solutions, it is the people we are trained and committed to serve who suffer most.
What we are for
Our mission
To unite health workers and others to prevent, manage and ease the suffering caused by preventable diseases, chronic illness and poor wellbeing, starting with the communities that are hardest to reach.
We believe healthcare is a human right. Expanding universal health coverage, properly funded, is a central part of our mission. In practice, that means two kinds of work:
- Care that reaches people. Free outreach days for mothers, newborns, children and elders in rural Rakai, always linked to the nearest government health centre.
- Care for the people who care. Wellbeing, mentoring, training and a real say at work for nurses and midwives.
What we believe
Three things every health worker needs
Our constitution names them. Research backs them. Without all three, people burn out and care suffers.
Belonging
To be connected, cared for, and caring of the people around us.
How MANCO does it: Wellbeing circles, mentoring for new midwives, and a Center in every area where members work.
Contribution
To be effective, and to see the good that our work does.
How MANCO does it: Outreach days where members see the difference the same day, and open reports of what each cause achieved.
Who we serve
The people furthest from a health centre
The people most hurt by gaps in healthcare are mothers, their children, and elderly men and women in poor, hard to reach communities. They are who we work for.
- Mothers and newborns
Antenatal checks, clean delivery kits, birth plans and a visit in the first week.
- Children under five
Malaria tests and treatment, growth checks and same day referrals.
- Grandparents
Blood pressure and sugar checks, and home visits for those who cannot travel.
- Nurses and midwives
Wellbeing circles, mentoring, training and a voice at work.
For the record
Facts about MANCO
Plain facts, written to be quoted accurately. Items marked "to be confirmed" will be added once verified.
- Name
- Midwives And Nurses Charity Organisation
- Abbreviation
- MANCO
- Former name
- Midwives and Nurses Voices Uganda (MANVU)
- What it is
- A Ugandan charity run by nurses and midwives
- Mission
- Preventing and easing suffering from preventable disease, chronic illness and poor wellbeing, with healthcare treated as a human right
- Who it serves
- Mothers, children and elderly people in hard to reach rural communities, and the health workers who care for them
- Founding area
- Rakai District, Uganda
- Constitution signed
- 2022
- Where it works
- Rakai District, Uganda. The Board may extend work to other districts by resolution.
- Legal form
- Non-governmental organisation, limited by guarantee without share capital
- Governance
- Board of Directors elected by members. The General Assembly of all members is the supreme body and meets at least once a year.
- Structure
- Members organise in Centers and Center councils, grouped into Divisions
- Membership
- Founder members, paid up members and associate members
- Accounts
- Audited every year by auditors appointed by the Board, and presented to the Annual General Meeting
- Slogan
- A healthy community, Our Pride
- Address
- Rakai, Uganda
- Website
- mancoug.org
- info@mancoug.org
See how MANCO is run
Meet the Board, read how decisions are made, and see how members organise in Centers across Rakai.
Questions people ask
What does MANCO do?
MANCO (Midwives And Nurses Charity Organisation) is a Ugandan charity run by nurses and midwives. We hold free outreach days in rural villages, give antenatal checks and clean delivery kits to mothers, test and treat children for malaria, check elders for high blood pressure, and support the wellbeing of health workers themselves.
Where does MANCO work?
We began in Rakai District in southern Uganda and currently work across its sub-counties, including Rakai Town, Kacheera, Lwanda, Kyalulangira, Byakabanda and Kagamba. Our constitution allows the Board to extend our work to other parts of Uganda later.
Who runs MANCO?
MANCO is led by a Board of Directors elected by members: a Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Executive Director, Finance Director and Secretary. The General Assembly of all members is the supreme decision making body and meets at least once a year.
Is MANCO a registered organisation?
MANCO is constituted as a non-governmental organisation limited by guarantee without share capital, under Uganda's NGO law. Our registration details will be published on this site once confirmed.