HIV/AIDS Global Gathering, Uganda, from 27 May

Day 4

Sam Mugote, our first speaker of the day, founded TAIP (The AIDS Intervention Programme), an extremely successful initiative to train and equip local churches to respond to HIV/AIDS, out of his one-bedroom house nearly 20 years ago. "Any person can do anything, you don't have to be so much," Sam explained. Today TAIP has 245 groups in Uganda that are raising awareness about HIV and providing care for people affected by the virus. He told the crowd that "every generation has a great opportunity from God" and HIV/AIDS is so widespread that it demands that we all get involved. "Change starts with someone like you attending a conference like this one!"

Soon after losing his wife to AIDS, Reverend Canon Gideon Byamugisha of Uganda learned that he too was infected with the lethal virus. The pastor spoke about how he wrestled with how he could disclose his status without being judged and rejected or even excommunicated from the church. But eventually he made the brave decision to be honest about his status and he made history by becoming the first minister in Africa to go public about his HIV-positive status. "My first disclosure was a miracle," said Reverend Gideon, "I told my friends and they told me, 'Gideon, we love you before HIV and we love you after HIV.' I wish every person living with HIV could hear those words." The reverend assigned the Church the task of exhausting every resource available to us to ensure that we have done our part to prevent more unnecessary deaths. "God is on the side of life, He has shown us that we need to defeat AIDS, He has given us role-models to follow, and we will win because He is on our side."

Our next speaker was the First Lady of Uganda, who spearheaded the Abstinence campaigns in Uganda almost a quarter of a century ago in response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. As of the early 1980's, she had become deeply alarmed about the rise of HIV and as a result the First Lady through the government began empowering the population to promote sexual abstinence while educating the nation about the AIDS virus. "As a mother, and as the President's wife, I looked at the children of Uganda as if they were my very own," remarked Mrs. Museveni, "and I was concerned about this generation's future." She ended by exclaiming how much promise she sees in the young generation and the hope she has that they will make better choices and lead others by their example.

For the evening of the Memorial of Hope, red ribbons inscribed with people's names were held up by the conference participants to form a giant chain around the darkened auditorium that was lit by lanterns and candles. The ribbons acted were a symbol of each staff member and/or individuals touched by the various ministries present that had lost their lives to HIV/AIDS.

Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6
Photos