Agnes Nambozo, a Ugandan nurse, climbs treacherous mountain ladders to provide vaccines to remote communities, exemplifying how healthcare workers overcome extraordinary geographic barriers to reduce childhood mortality in sub-Saharan Africa.
Agnes Nambozo’s workday begins at 6:00 am with a multi-stage journey through eastern Uganda’s mountainous terrain. After taking a taxi, then a motorbike, and finally hiking to reach towering ladders that connect isolated mountain communities, she arrives at her patients four hours after leaving home. These rickety ladders, nearly 1,000 feet tall, serve as the only access points to villages where mothers cannot safely carry babies down to health clinics.
The nurse’s dangerous ascents have become routine in her mission to vaccinate children against polio, measles, tetanus, and pneumonia. “The ladders are risky because you might miss a step,” Nambozo told Bill Gates in a recent GatesNotes profile. “If you are lucky, you can get a fracture. If you’re not lucky, you can lose your life,” she told him. Rain frequently makes the ladders slippery, yet she persists, carrying an insulated backpack loaded with ice packs to keep vaccines cold while treating approximately 50 patients per visit.
Nambozo’s work represents a crucial component of Uganda’s public health success. The country has reduced childhood mortality from 145 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2000 to fewer than 40 in 2023, with vaccination programs playing a central role. Beyond immunizations, she provides deworming treatments, vitamin A supplements, and health education to communities where she and her colleagues are often the only medical professionals.
Recent USAID funding cuts have eliminated many positions at Nambozo’s health clinic in Buluganya, leaving remaining staff to cover HIV testing, tuberculosis treatment, and maternal health services with reduced resources. “Our community is suffering a lot,” Nambozo said in the GatesNotes interview, expressing concern about staff burnout. Despite these challenges, she continues her education through Rotary Club support, pursuing a nursing degree while maintaining her commitment to serving Uganda’s most isolated populations. Her professional motto reflects this dedication: “To love and serve,” with love defined not as sentiment but as action.
Read the full article by Bill Gates: This heroic nurse climbs 1000-foot ladders to save lives
Watch this video about Nurse Nambozo and her work:
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