DOGO launches in Uganda
Uganda was the first real test of the thing we had claimed from the beginning: that DOGO is a model that copies.
Until Uganda, everything DOGO had done was in Nigeria. That is a reasonable place to prove a concept, but it does not prove portability. A charity that works in one country because of the relationships and knowledge it happens to have there is a project, not a solution.
We now operate in Kampala, alongside our Nigerian operations in Kano, Taraba, Jalingo, Yobe and Lagos.
What the expansion tested
Every component had to work somewhere new without being rebuilt: the six-digit ID system, the DOGO Keeper app that partner clinics use to submit bills, the human checking process, the donor matching queue, and the currency handling.
The currency piece mattered more than expected. Costs in Uganda run considerably higher than in Nigeria, typically about £16.60 per treatment against roughly £3 in Nigeria, because local pricing and the exchange rate are both different. We publish both figures separately rather than a blended average, because a blended average would flatter us.
Why this matters for what comes next
Because the system was built to be lifted rather than rebuilt, we can now open in a new country in under six weeks. A new region needs a team, a few partner clinics and a supply of donors. It does not need anybody to reinvent anything.
We are genuinely open to suggestions on where to go next. If you know a community that needs this, write to info@dogoapp.org. That is a real route in.
See where we work or what we are building next.
Give someone a treatment
Set up a £5 monthly donation and we will show you exactly who it treated. In Nigeria, £5 covers one person's entire treatment, usually with change.
Three ways to give, all working right now:
- Donate on WhatsApp. The quickest route. Message us and we will set it up inside the chat. No app to install, no forms, no password.
- Dogo Health on the App Store, or on Google Play. Set your amount once and you are matched with a new person automatically each month.
Monthly from £5, one-off from £10. Cancel any time from the app. Questions first? Write to info@dogoapp.org.