The origin of Mildmay stretches back to the mid-1860s from the work done by The Reverend William Pennefather, a vicar at St. Judes, and his wife Catherine. St. Judes, located in Mildmay Park, Islington, was a lively Victorian church of over 1,000 people. Reverend William developed several projects known collectively as Mildmay Institutions, providing spiritual guidance and care for the sick. In 1866 there was a cholera outbreak in East London. Two of the Mildmay deaconesses, trained by Catherine, volunteered to go into some of the East End’s worst slums in the Old Nichol, one of the most notorious slums of the nineteenth century, where even the police feared to enter, to care for the sick and their dependents. The Old Nichol was situated between High Street, Shoreditch and Bethnal Green. It consisted of 20 narrow streets containing 730 dilapidated terraced houses which were inhabited by some 6,000 people. The work of the deaconesses developed and expanded. In 1877, the first Mildmay Medical Mission was established in a disused warehouse in Cabbage Court (now Little Bacon Street, south of Bethnal Green Road), near to Shoreditch Church. It consisted of twenty-seven beds in three wards, one doctor, three nurses and five deaconesses in training. This was the first incarnation of what was soon to become Mildmay Mission Hospital. In 1892 the first purpose-built Mildmay Mission Hospital was opened. In 1948, the hospital became part of the National Health Service (NHS). However, in 1982 it was regarded uneconomic being a hospital with

Milestones to Forming Mildmay Uganda Milestones in the formation of Mildmay Uganda (MUg):

Invitation to Uganda: 

Mildmay focus on Uganda goes back to a meeting between Honorable Manuel Pinto and Dr. Veronica Moss at a global conference in Edinburgh Scotland. Honorable Pinto was the Director General of Uganda AIDS Commission (UAC) and Dr. Moss worked with Mildmay International. Following that meeting, President Yoweri Museveni invited Mildmay International to start paediatric HIV palliative care and capacity building in Uganda. 

The Mildmay Centre: 

The Mildmay Centre (TMC) was launched in September 1998 by Princess Anne, The Princess Royal, to serve as an HIV/AIDS care and training facility. TMC opened as a specialist HIV/AIDS facility overseen by Ministry of Health and run by Mildmay International. Initial funding for TMC was provided by Uganda Government and the UK Government through Department for International Development (DFID).

Mildmay Paediatric Palliative Care: 

In 2000, the Mildmay Paediatric Care Centre (MPCC), formerly called Jjaja’s Home, started its operations. MPCC was started to provide specialized care and support to HIV/AIDS affected children. To do that, MPCC operated paediatric day care services and later established paediatric in-patient care. MPCC pioneered specialist paediatric HIV/AIDS care in sub-Saharan Africa. The Centre made Mildmay one of two paediatric palliative care beacon centers in Africa. 

The Queen’s Visit: 

In 2007, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II visited Mildmay Uganda and the Mildmay Paediatric Care Centre. This was indicative of how significant the work done by Mildmay in Uganda had become. During her visit, Her Majesty said: “Thank you Mildmay Uganda for the work and the remarkable example set in the provision of care and education for the people living with HIV.” At the Mildmay Paediatric Care Centre, The Queen unveiled a plaque for the hospital’s Elizabeth Ward, named in her honor. Her Majesty later praised Mildmay’s work in an address to the Parliament of Uganda. 

The President’s Visit: 

The President of Uganda, His Excellency General Yoweri Museveni, marked the 10th Anniversary of Mildmay Uganda with a special visit in October 2008. 

The Merger: 

In 2008, Mildmay Uganda (MUg) was formed by merging TMC and MPCC to streamline services, remove duplication and enhance cost-effectiveness. 

Archbishop of Canterbury Visit: 

In 2010, the work of Mildmay in Uganda was graced with a visit by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams. 

Incorporation of Mildmay Uganda: 

In 2010, Mildmay Uganda (MUg) became an indigenous Ugandan organization independent of Mildmay UK but maintaining cordial relationship. A local Board of Directors assumed oversight of MUg. The first MUg Board comprised 100% Ugandans from diverse professional backgrounds chaired by Reverend Professor Dr. Sam Luboga. In accordance with the MUg governance policy, Prof. Luboga subsequently handed it over to Dr. Jeff Sebuyira Mukasa in 2022.