February 2, 2026 • Encinitas, CA
Encinitas Nonprofit Completes $200,000 Surgical Expansion in Northern Uganda, Launches $750,000 Campaign
An Encinitas-based nonprofit founded by father and daughter Hal Tilbury and Anastasia Marks has completed a $200,000 expansion of the gynecology ward at Lira Regional Referral Hospital in northern Uganda.
The expansion increases capacity from 12 beds to 45 beds — more than tripling inpatient surgical capacity for women living with severe childbirth injuries. Final construction will conclude on February 28, 2026.
Patients are scheduled to begin receiving care in the expanded ward on March 7, 2026. An official public opening ceremony will be scheduled at a later date by the Lira Ministry of Health.
Founded in 2025, The Musa Project partners with Ugandan surgeon Associate Professor Musa Kayondo to strengthen hospital infrastructure and expand advanced pelvic and obstetric surgical care through locally led training and long-term systems development.
The Lira region serves communities heavily impacted by refugees from South Sudan, placing additional strain on limited medical infrastructure. The expanded 45-bed ward will increase regional access to specialized gynecologic surgery for local Ugandan women and displaced women who often lack access to advanced care.
In 2025 alone, the Ugandan surgical team supported by The Musa Project performed 599 complex childbirth injury surgeries, along with more than 8,800 additional obstetric and gynecologic procedures, including cesarean deliveries and other specialized women’s health surgeries.
“If we are serious about reducing severe childbirth injuries, we must expand both surgical capacity and training,” said Associate Professor Musa Kayondo, head of the Urogynecology and Female Pelvic Surgery program at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital. “This expansion allows us to treat more complex cases while building the workforce needed for the future. My goal is to see at least 100 well-trained urogynecologists serving across Uganda and neighboring countries in the next decade.”
With the Lira expansion complete, The Musa Project is launching a $750,000 capital campaign to expand its headquarters at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital in western Uganda, a project more than three times the size of the Lira expansion and focused on scaling long-term surgical training capacity nationwide.
“Lira represents a strong beginning for The Musa Project and will benefit thousands of women,” said Anastasia Marks, Founder and Executive Director of The Musa Project. “But the greatest long-term impact comes from strengthening surgical training. By expanding fellowship capacity, we are investing in Ugandan specialists who will care for women for decades.”
The Mbarara expansion will:
● Increase fellowship training capacity for new Ugandan urogynecologists
● Increase ward capacity from 40 beds to 80 beds
● Consolidate surgical theaters within the gynecology ward to improve efficiency and patient safety
● Expand operating and recovery space
“I’ve spent my career looking at numbers,” said Hal Tilbury, Co-Founder and Treasurer of The Musa Project. “In the United States, a hospital expansion of this scale would cost several million dollars. In Uganda, we can complete it for a fraction of that amount, creating measurable surgical capacity gains while strengthening long-term medical training infrastructure.”
The capital campaign officially launches in March 2026, with a goal of raising $750,000 to complete the Mbarara expansion and significantly increase advanced surgical capacity and fellowship training.
About The Musa Project:
Founded in 2025 and based in Encinitas, California, The Musa Project partners with Ugandan surgical leaders to expand advanced pelvic and obstetric surgical care, strengthen hospital infrastructure, and train the next generation of specialists. The organization focuses on long-term, locally led solutions that increase surgical capacity and restore dignity for women suffering from severe childbirth injuries across East Africa.
For more information or to support the campaign, visit www.musa-project.org
Media Contact:
Anastasia Marks
Founder and Executive Director
The Musa Project
Encinitas, California
619-736-6950
A Tote That Supports Healing
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Your gift supports women seeking care for severe childbirth injuries by expanding access to surgery, training, and hospital capacity so more women can heal and rebuild their lives.