Rose Mary Nakame had to battle a benign brain tumor at an early age.  This in the context of a low socio-economic background which meant poor access to better diagnostic and treatment care options as well as growing up in a community that valued boys more than girl-children.

She believes that her story is similar to that of so many girls and women who make up half of the country’s population and 67% of Ugandans living in poverty. This has inspired her career and academic paths to work towards increasing access to quality healthcare and empowering girls and women from impoverished families.

In November 2015, Rose founded REMI East Africa whose professional development talks, leadership and financial literacy trainings have so far, reached 550 female nursing students and 10 female health workers in rural areas of Jinja and Hoima, Uganda.

In a recent outreach, one participant explained why REMI was important:

“I had hated clinical work because of the way health workers behave; being too harsh and non-supportive yet we need them to help us better serve the patients. Now, I understand that whatever problem I find in this profession is my opportunity to create a difference.”

These words comfort Rose in hard times and energize her to create the change that we all want to see.