Pearl Bank Backs UGX 14.8 Billion Drive for Uganda’s First Bone Marrow Transplant Centre

Jane Atuhairwe (C), Branch Business Manager at Pearl Bank, Jinja Branch, Dr. Cissy Kityo (2nd L), Executive Director, JCRC, together with teams from Pearl Bank and Joint Clinic Research Centre in Jinja today, in commemoration of World Sickle Cell Day, which also doubled as the regional Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) drive, targeting to raise USD 4 million for the BMT Facility in Lubowa.

JINJA, Uganda — The Joint Clinical Research Centre (JCRC) and Pearl Bank marked World Sickle Cell Day on Thursday by launching a regional fundraising push in Jinja aimed at raising UGX 14.8 billion for Uganda’s first Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) Centre, expanding a campaign that began in Kampala earlier this year.

The event, held under the theme “Closing the Survival Gap: Equity in Sickle Cell Disease,” was organized by Uganda’s Ministry of Health alongside JCRC, Pearl Bank, Raising Hope International Friends and other partners. World Sickle Cell Day has been observed annually on June 19 since the United Nations General Assembly recognized it in 2008 to raise awareness of the disease.

Sickle cell disease affects an estimated 20,000 to 25,000 newborns in Uganda each year, and 70% to 80% of those without comprehensive care die before age 5, according to JCRC. About 13% of Uganda’s population carries the sickle cell trait, with prevalence reaching 24% in some districts. The Busoga region, where Jinja is located, has one of the country’s highest rates at 16.7%.

Pearl Bank has committed UGX 200 million to the BMT fundraising effort, part of the bank’s broader health-focused corporate social investment strategy, said Jane Atuhairwe, the bank’s branch business manager, speaking on behalf of Head of Marketing and Communications Priscilla Akora.

“Supporting this initiative presents an opportunity for the bank to actively participate in national efforts to demystify sickle cell disease, promote early diagnosis and linkage to care, reduce stigma, and strengthen psychosocial support for affected individuals and their families,” Atuhairwe said, relaying Akora’s remarks.

Akora said the bank’s participation gives the campaign “a strategic platform to amplify the fundraising campaign, drive public awareness, and mobilize support toward expanding access to life-saving treatment” for people with sickle cell disease and related conditions. Donations can be made through the JCRC website, a Pearl Bank account, or mobile money platform Wendi, organizers said.

JCRC Executive Director Dr. Cissy Kityo said the organization is in the early stages of building Uganda’s first BMT Centre at its Lubowa campus, which will treat blood cancer and sickle cell disease once operational. Current work is focused on capacity building, infrastructure and foundational research, she said. JCRC already operates a Red Blood Cell Exchange unit that manages severe sickle cell complications in children and adults.

Jane Atuhairwe, Branch Business Manager at Pearl Bank, Jinja Branch, guiding customers about Pearl Bank services. This was in Jinja today, during the commemoration of World Sickle Cell Day, which also doubled as the regional Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) drive, targeting to raise USD 4 million for the BMT Facility in Lubowa.

Dr. Daniel Kyabayinze, the Ministry of Health’s director of public health, represented the event’s chief guest and pledged continued government support for sickle cell research, awareness campaigns, and nationwide newborn screening and treatment linkage.

Pearl Bank framed its involvement as aligned with Uganda’s Fourth National Development Plan, which targets the country’s socio-economic transformation, saying expanded access to treatments like the planned BMT Centre would improve public health outcomes for vulnerable communities.

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