Based on past experiences, the Ugandan government does not always view this type of donation favourably.  For example, medicines, materials or supplies may be

• expired or close to expiry. This results in significant losses at the time of disposal and, if there is a persistent desire to use them, poses a risk to human health.

• They may be sold on the local market, putting local producers and suppliers in difficulty, not to mention the same problems described in the previous bullet point.

• Is the donation motivated by the fact that it is cheaper to send to Africa than to dispose of at home? If so, this is a serious breach of ethics and the Foundation will refuse outright.

In addition, medicines are very strictly regulated: import procedures are extremely complicated.

Once the donation has been identified, transport must be arranged, either by air (fast but very expensive) or by land, i.e. by sea container to the port of Mombasa (Kenya) and then by land (road or rail) to Uganda—the hospital is 1,400 km from Mombasa. Along the way, there will be customs and demurrage charges. When you add it all up, the bills can easily reach 40% of the nominal value of the donated goods.

It is therefore easy to understand how a local purchase can cost less than an equivalent donation shipped from abroad to Uganda.