David Mwesigwa Lwangwa, the youngest of six children, grew up in Entebbe, Uganda. He studied Computer Science at the Makerere University in Kampala, where he began his path into social entrepreneurship through a passion for app development. His biggest focus: accessible and affordable healthcare. “While growing up, I saw many of my relatives struggle to get access to healthcare or access to the right information and this was a determinant in developing Spanhealth,” said Lwangwa.
Together with three colleagues—two fellow computer scientists and a doctor–-Spanhealth was born. Their collective mission centers on improving cancer care and treatment in Uganda. “We came together after realizing that we all had the same attitude towards how cancer care and treatment needed an improvement in our country,” Lwangwa said. “This made us start Spanhealth and our focus has always been to create an environment which will enable cancer patients [to] carry out treatment on their own terms.”
Spanhealth focuses on providing patients with the tools and resources they need to manage their care, offering a space that fosters community support and connection. “Often when a person is diagnosed with cancer, they feel alone! We want to offer a space where this is not the case,” Lwangwa said. “Creating a community of cancer patients, caregivers and survivors, all sharing stories of how they dealt with cancer gives a feeling of “company” to a patient. They feel less alone.”
Beyond community building, Spanhealth is also dedicated to providing accurate and well-researched information on various types of cancer and evolving treatment options, as well as tools that track patient symptoms, enabling oncologists to tailor treatment plans based on real-time data and patient input.
Lwangwa’s introduction to social business occurred in 2014 during the Microsoft Imagine Cup competition, an experience that reshaped his professional aspirations. “From that day, I realized that I needed to work on something around social business, and my goal has always been to provide [a] positive impact,” he reflected.
While his entrepreneurial journey has been challenging, Lwangwa finds joy in the iterative process. “Nothing works in one go and whenever I have to iterate and switch up things, that feeling is really scary but also really good,” Lwangwa said.
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hrough Spanhealth, Lwangwa aims to create lasting change in cancer care and beyond. He believes in the value of inclusivity in building strong teams and encourages aspiring social entrepreneurs to persist in their efforts to drive meaningful change. “Focus on creating the change you want to see and do not give up but rather give more,” he advised.
David’s commitment to empowering patients and transforming healthcare exemplifies the potential of social entrepreneurship to address pressing challenges and make a tangible impact.
