Mulembe. You respond, ‘Mulembe’. Kamahua.
This is a traditional greeting in Lugisu, one of the 52 languages spoken in the nation of Uganda.
Who is Uganda? Where is Uganda? What are it’s stories?
Yes, Uganda is a nation which borders Kenya, South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Rwanda, yes, it is a member of the East African Community, a regional intergovernmental organization, yes, it is a nation who was colonized by the British until 1962, a nation with a rich and diverse cultural heritage with over 60 tribes and 52 languages. Yes, Uganda is all of this.Uganda is a highly agricultural nation, known for beautiful art and excellent music, for the infamous tea shared so frequently between friends and colleagues. For the Nile River, for its mountains, lake, and rich natural beauty.
Yes, Uganda is all of this, and so, so much more, because Uganda is a nation which is composed of more than 30 million people, each of whom are a unique, beautiful expression of Uganda’s story.We fell in love with the nation because we fell in love with the people, with their warmth, welcome, their humor, laughter, and their enduring love. With their humility.We fell in love with their determination to overcome overwhelming challenges such as the HIV epidemic, which swelled in the late 80’s in Uganda.
Enter the story of The Aids Support Organization; TASO has been a key leader in reversing what was a death sentence for nearly 30% of urban populations in the late 80’s; HIV and AIDS. The prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Uganda has since been driven down by 22.7% to 7.3%, due in great part, to the leadership of sixteen individuals who chose to embrace those being rejected and stigmatized because of AIDS, to meet the practical needs of the dying, to offer care and support to the lonely and afflicted, and to advocate for those who were oppressed. Meeting in houses and a borrowed office, they may not have imagined the magnitude of national and international social change that they would inspire, nor that that they would teach and train well over 30,000 people in more than 21 nations on HIV/AIDS treatment and management, that their expertise would be sought after by institutions such as the UN. I doubt that this small group who began without a name, an organizational structure, or any funds would today be administrators of the Global Fund for Uganda due to their recognized leadership, integrity, and organizational efficiency. That from a borrowed room in Mulago Hospital, they would imagine that today, they would be operating 11 fully equipped service centers spanning every region in Uganda, having brought a cumulative number of over 200,000 people through TASO care since their inception (TASO Achievements, http://www.tasouganda.org/).
They were simply a small band of people who had committed to care.
They acted on one thing; love.