Christine Nabulya, a nurse doing home-based care with the Mengo Hospital HIV/AIDS project, prepares medicine from a suitcase in the back of the Mengo clinic pick-up truck. Uganda
About UgandaUganda has successfully reduced its HIV infection rate. Currently about 4 percent of adults in Uganda have HIV/AIDS and some 940,000 orphans have been left behind. With continued AIDS-related deaths among middle-aged adults, many young people and grandparents are heading up households.
MCC Supports:AIDS Education Group for Youth (AEGY)In Uganda, the rate of HIV/AIDS among the young people ages 15 to 24 is high. The situation is especially dangerous for girls, as their infection rates are six times that of their male counterparts. Underage marriage, forced marriages, peer pressure to have sex at an early age, sexual abuse and lack of awareness and understanding of reproductive health and basic human rights all contribute to the HIV/AIDS problem among this age group. In an effort to be both holistic and proactive in meeting the needs of people potentially affected by AIDS in their community, AEGY undertakes a number of activities. They organize peer education clubs in secondary schools and organize a weekly radio program in the local language about HIV/AIDS. They provide care and counseling for people with HIV/AIDS, including support for income-generating activities. They also support AIDS orphans. The project serves 860 people living with AIDS, 200 orphans, and thousands of students and community members. $35 Cdn./$31 U.S. provides a goat and income generation training for one person with HIV/AIDS. $82 Cdn./$72 U.S. per week covers he production and broadcasting costs of a radio show in the local language. If contributions to a project exceed the amount needed, MCC will use the donations to support similar projects.
Mengo Hospital — AIDS Care and Counseling DepartmentThe AIDS Care and Counseling Department at the Anglican Church-run Mengo Hospital provides an outpatient clinic, counseling services, home-based care and HIV/AIDS education to thousands in the capital city of Kampala. They also offer a special children's clinic and club that provides support to 90 children that are living with HIV or have lost parents to the disease. Mengo's goal is to improve the health and quality of life of HIV infected people and orphaned children, and to prevent the further spread of the virus. The clinic currently has 13,000 patients on its registry, many of whom are receiving anti-retroviral medications through a special grant from The Global Fund. In addition to the patients and children served, Mengo is also training community health workers and medical staff about how to provide quality care for those living with HIV/AIDS. $7 Cdn./$6 U.S. covers the cost of a home-based care visit to a bed-ridden HIV/AIDS patient. $65 Cdn./$57 U.S. provides a monthly meal for 60 children infected or affected by AIDS who participate in the children's club. If contributions to a project exceed the amount needed, MCC will use the donations to support similar projects. |
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