The Ibulanku Project began in 1996, when the late James Lukabyo and his wife, Sheila, both parishioners of St Alban’s, Leura, returned from a visit to Ibulanku, the village in Uganda where James was born and brought up.

They had been asked for financial help for the sinking of a bore hole to provide clean water for the village. At that time the villagers (usually women and children) had to walk many kilometres to fetch water from a muddy well.

Funds for this were quickly raised, largely from a huge ‘Garage Sale’ in St Alban’s church hall, the bore hole was sunk, a hand pump was installed, and the villagers were delighted with their ‘sweet water’.

The village elders soon realised that a clean water supply made a medical facility possible, and in 1998, when the Lukabyos visited again, they were asked if they could raise funds for this. The people of St Alban’s Church rose to the challenge and the Ibulanku Community Health Centre Project was born.