Bicycles Bring Hope: TASO Soroti Centre retrieves hundreds of lost clients

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The AIDS Support Organization (TASO) Soroti Service Centre has successfully retrieved a large number of clients who had previously dropped out of care.

Out of 6,026 active clients receiving care in the Teso sub-region, a report indicated that 508 clients had been lost. TASO attributed the loss to several factors, including illness, business travel, forgetfulness about appointments, and long distances to the health facility.

However, a significant turnaround was achieved after World Bicycle Relief donated 100 buffalo bicycles at the end of last year. By the end of March, 304 of the 508 clients had returned for care.

These durable bicycles have supported key community tasks such as follow-up visits, domestic work, and even helping children get back to school.

Charles Odoi, the Centre Programs Manager at TASO Soroti, shared the progress during the handover of another 100 buffalo bicycles—worth 78 million shillings—by World Bicycle Relief at the TASO offices in Soroti on Friday morning.

The latest group of beneficiaries includes Community ART Support Agents, clan leaders, expert clients, adolescent girls, young women, and youth peer supporters.

Odoi emphasized that the bicycles will help bridge the gap in follow-up services by enabling community agents to easily trace clients who miss appointments.

Hamza Ali, the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer from Buffalo Bicycles in Lira, urged recipients to use the bicycles responsibly and for their intended purpose.



Rose Tino, the District Councilor for Tubur sub-county representing the Soroti LCV Chairperson, said the donation would play a crucial role in helping reconnect clients to essential HIV care services.



Beneficiaries expressed excitement and gratitude, saying the bicycles will improve their ability to mobilize clients and reduce the burden of long-distance travel—one of the key challenges in the follow-up process.