Thanks To Jim Balassone, Bulamu Means Life!

Bulamu Healthcare: Born In California, Changing Public Healthcare Systems Across Africa.

In addition to having a ready smile and a kind word, Jim Balassone was known for his business ethics and compassion for others. A graduate of Princeton University (1964), and a successful businessman, Jim knew how to overcome obstacles, improve performance, and deliver results with purpose. It’s no surprise then that a chance encounter with a nurse from Uganda would move Jim to take action to alleviate suffering and seek sustainable solutions to improve the health and wellbeing of those in need.

In the Ugandan language of Luganda, Bulamu means wellbeing. Thanks to Jim Balassone, Bulamu means life! In a remarkably short time, Jim’s vision and passion became a reality. With the help of his former Ugandan nurse and many of his Princeton classmates, Jim mobilized donors, secured clinical resources, and began holding medical camps in Uganda, in 2016. Since then, Bulamu Healthcare has grown to become a nationally recognized partner in the delivery of high quality, low cost services to people living in poverty in Uganda.

As the scope of Bulamu’s programs and services has expanded under its current leadership, so to has its ability to scale. Though Jim passed away before seeing his vision become a reality, his legacy lives on not only in Uganda, but thanks to the support of donors like you, Bulamu is poised to expand its high impact, low cost programs across Africa beginning in 2024.