Bridging Global Care with Community Wisdom
Cascadia–Kigatto Community Health Clinic
Our story
A Promise Born in KigattoÂ
The Cascadia–Kigatto Community Health Clinic began with a promise made in a small village in Butambala, Uganda a promise born from deep loss, strengthened by resilience, and carried with love across continents.
At twelve years old, Umar Ndiwalana survived a preventable waterborne illness that took the lives of his mother, two brothers, and many childhood friends. Overnight, he became the caretaker of his younger sisters. He grew up watching neighbors die from illnesses that could have been prevented with basic healthcare.
Guided by a desire to heal himself and protect others, Umar studied community and adult education and worked closely with Indigenous healers. When he later moved to the United States, he discovered he had been living with untreated tuberculosis. He received vaccinations he never had access to as a child; including protection against measles, a disease that took many of his childhood friends. This journey shaped a lifelong commitment: no child should lose a parent to a preventable illness.
A Promise Born in KigattoÂ
The Cascadia–Kigatto Community Health Clinic began with a promise made in a small village in Butambala, Uganda a promise born from deep loss, strengthened by resilience, and carried with love across continents.
At twelve years old, Umar Ndiwalana survived a preventable waterborne illness that took the lives of his mother, two brothers, and many childhood friends. Overnight, he became the caretaker of his younger sisters. He grew up watching neighbors die from illnesses that could have been prevented with basic healthcare.
Guided by a desire to heal himself and protect others, Umar studied community and adult education and worked closely with Indigenous healers. When he later moved to the United States, he discovered he had been living with untreated tuberculosis. He received vaccinations he never had access to as a child; including protection against measles, a disease that took many of his childhood friends. This journey shaped a lifelong commitment: no child should lose a parent to a preventable illness.
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THE JOURNEY FROM KIGATTO TO OREGON
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From many losses grew a quiet but powerful commitment to protect other families from preventable illness.
With the support of his now‑wife, Umar’s journey took him from Kigatto to Portland, where he learned English as a second language at PCC, studied public health at PSU, and trained as a nurse at Oregon Health Sciences University (OHSU). Even through challenges and setbacks, the promise he made as a child kept him moving forward.
He completed his nursing education at Oregon Health & Science University and gained clinical experience at Providence Health, the Portland VA, and Legacy Health ;Â always carrying his community in his heart.
A PROMISE MADE REAL
The Cascadia–Kigatto Community Health Clinic is our promise made real. We are here to bring accessible, community‑grown, culturally familiar care to Kigatto and the surrounding villages. Our work centers on preventive care, early diagnosis and treatment, clean water and sanitation learning, maternal and child health, mental wellness support, and sharing life‑saving knowledge with families.
We believe no child should lose a parent to an illness that could have been prevented, no mother should bury a child because help was too far away, and no family should face sickness alone. What began in heartbreak has become a bridge—connecting neighbors, sharing wisdom, and building a future where health belongs to all of us.