Helen Habteslasie Keleta delivers compassionate, culturally sensitive healthcare to Uganda’s underserved refugee and host communities through her growing East Africa Hafeshawi Medical Center.
While Uganda’s healthcare system has made progress in expanding services and implementing reforms, it still faces significant challenges related to workforce shortages, financing, and equitable access, especially in rural areas.
Recent reports indicate that the doctor-to-patient ratio in urban areas is 1:2,000, whereas in rural regions, it stands at 1:25,000. Many districts in Uganda also lack sufficient healthcare infrastructure. As of 2024, 82 districts do not have a public general hospital. Furthermore, numerous sub-counties and town councils lack Health Center IIIs, essential for inpatient and maternal health services. Helen Keleta is fixing this through a health clinic she founded in 2018.
Finding purpose in a refugee camp
When Keleta first arrived in Kampala in 2016, she was a mother, a refugee, and an engineer by training. After fleeing political instability in her home country of Eritrea, she sought safety, peace, and the ability to raise her children with dignity.
But as life would have it, she pivoted towards something entirely different.
In those early days, she found herself drawn into the struggles of others. Fellow refugees, primarily women with children, contacted her because of her translation abilities. When a mother couldn’t explain her child’s symptoms to a Ugandan doctor, Keleta stepped in. When someone was too scared to ask questions about a diagnosis, she became their voice.
The turning point came when the whispers in hospital corridors intensified, as worried mothers and confused patients piled on each other. The innovator couldn’t ignore them any longer. She realised that the language barrier was merely a symptom, and the real sickness was that refugee communities were not being acknowledged. Therefore, she decided to build something better.
Lacking a medical background, Helen Habteslasie Keleta rented a small space and equipped it with just five beds. This marked the beginning of the East Africa Hafeshawi Medical Center.
Founding East Africa Hafeshawi Medical Center
From the very beginning, the businesswoman’s approach was unique. The medical centre felt less like a clinic and more like a home. Staff were trained to treat and listen to each patient with care. Doctors and nurses came from the very communities the centre served- Eritrean, Somali, and Ugandan- ensuring that no patient had to struggle to explain themselves.
It didn’t take long for the news to spread. People came for treatment because they felt safe, acknowledged, and respected.
Today, that modest five-bed clinic has expanded into three branches with over 25 beds and more than 40 employees. It has served more than 15,000 patients, the majority of whom are women, children, and men who have experienced war, hunger, displacement, and the harshness of broken systems. The centre has also employed native professional doctors and nurses from Eritrea, Uganda, and Somalia to address the language barriers that previously prevented refugees from accessing adequate healthcare.
Keleta’s team hosts outreach programmes in mosques and markets, on TikTok, and WhatsApp to spread vital information about hygiene, maternal care, and mental health. They have organised blood drives, provided free services to those who couldn’t afford them, trained youths, and employed marginalised women.
