Christopher Kigongo, President and lead for the Abedunego Memorial Women and Children Hospital Mityana Limited in Mityana, Uganda.

In his own words, Dr. Christopher Kigongo was born a peasant. His parents were rural Ugandan farmers with many children and little money just like the people we reach out to today. He used to walk to school when things were going well on the farm, the weather was not too bad, and his parents were able to give him his school fees. When he was about ten years old, his father told him that the family had run out of money. Instead of going to school, Christopher was helping out at home.

One day, Christopher was sent to buy supplies in a nearby town. There he saw his teacher and soccer coach. “Christopher, you must come back to school,” he said. “If you don’t have the school fees, come anyway. You are a smart boy, and there is nothing for you to do here if you are not learning.” Along the way, his teachers helped Christopher to go on to secondary school and even to college.

After earning his degree in medicine from Makerere University, Christopher became interested in policy as he worked in communities throughout Uganda and observed their problems. He served as Principal Health Educator at the Ministry of Health and earned his master’s in public health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

In 2023, Dr. Kigongo moved from his job as a Clinical Trial Manager at Duke University Hospital in the area of liver research to a similar job at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. Additionally, he is shadowing expert physicians in the areas of pregnancy, birthing and children there.

Christopher never forgot how the powerful words of one guiding educator propelled him through school to become a leader in medicine, public service, and education. Because he experienced how education is the key to progress for Ugandans and individuals around the world, he started Connectabaana to break down the common barriers to education.

He generally travels to Uganda about 3 weeks a year.