The land was been made available by the Namirembe Diocese (Church of Uganda) when the St Stephen's Lukuli committee agreed a 25 year lease without premium or annual rent. The plot covers 30m by 20m (6,000 sq ft) and is adjacent to a major local road for ease of patient access.

In February 2004, the slope was removed and foundations dug. The murrum was so hard that deep foundations were not needed, but as the new facilities will have internal toilets, plumbing and showers the drainage had to be assembled at this stage.

Viewed again looking West, the foundation slab was laid during March with support from Hima-Bamburi cement. The community donated some of the sand and stones that were needed and a local smallholder quarry was where we bought the remaining stones.

The workers on the site were paid and many were from the Lukuli village and adjoining area. In 2004 the village was beginning a period of rapid population growth but the clinic was the largest construction underway.

Looking East, towards Lake Victoria, the cement area marks out the rooms, with the area yet to be sealed corresponding to the atrium training area. This was April's work in 2004. The neighbourhood can be seen with many banana (matoke) plants and open land.

The left side of the picture houses the counselling and drug dispensing areas in the foreground with clinical consultation rooms and the lab in the background. The right side is maternity ward, delivery rooms, children's ward and the youth consultation room.

In May 2004, John and Swanee marked out the floorplan on the foundations and with Fred, the chief brickie, laid the first row of bricks throughout the building. A week later we had reached this stage. A week after that the ring beams are being poured and the lintels cast for the doorways.

The construction was an education in the 'correct' techniques common on larger projects but rare in house-building. The cement moulds were reusable plastic-covered boards, the interior scaffold for the builders to stand on were safe, professional platforms and regular re-measurement ensured that rooms were rectangles or squares and not vague curved shapes so common in other buildings.

In June, Swanee placed the steel trusses for the roof and set the metal sheets in place. His design would minimise the cost through a triangular load-bearing structure for the cross-beams and battens and uprights strong enough for their job of holding the metal sheets of the roof. We are grateful to Roofings Limited for their support in the supply of all of the metalwork for the building.

In developing the materials-efficient construction of floor, walls and roof, Swanee also coached the many builders in these methods and they have been using this to reduce the costs of their future work.

Towards the end of 2004, Swanee had to leave Uganda but not before completing the construction from foundation to roof, and fitting the windows and security bars and doors. We are grateful to Hwan Sung for their support in providing uPVC windows for the whole clinic. To complete the exterior we fitted the glass blocks donated to us by the Delegation of the European Union in Uganda. Standard Signs kindly sponsored a new sign for the facility.

Fred then continued the interior work, re-using doors donated by the European Union's old Delegation offices, and facing the exterior with half-bricks which make the outside maintenance-free. We quickly learned that barely half the cost and effort was done.

In completing the interior, we have benefited from Belgian Technical Cooperation who have provided a Solar Construct water heater (hiding behind the raised wall). We have also been awarded a Rotary International grant for 1,500 mosquito nets, furnishing the clinic, power back-up and site security. The remaining glass blocks and most timber doors were provided by the Delegation of the European Union in Uganda

Sadolin provided the paints, we tiled the bathrooms (two squat and one seated) and installed the showers for patients. The equipment and furniture from the old clinic were transferred and in July 2005 we opened in our new/ current home. Patient numbers rose rapidly to over 600 a month by early 2006.