TASO asks govt for support
Sep 14, 2011
The AIDS Support Organisation (TASO) has appealed to the Government to introduce affirmative action on poverty reduction for persons living with HIV/AIDS.
By Joseph Wanzusi
The AIDS Support Organisation (TASO) has appealed to the Government to introduce affirmative action on poverty reduction for persons living with HIV/AIDS.
“We humbly appeal that people living with HIV/AIDS be linked to government programmes that are aimed at poverty reduction such as NAADS, NUSAF II and SACCOS,†TASO’s eastern regional manager Henry Muzoora-Karakore said while addressing the TASO Mbale centre 17th annual general meeting.
Muzoora said the enhancement of household incomes for TASO clients in Bugisu, Bukedi, Teso, Bunyoro, Karamoja, Lango, Acholi and West Nile sub-regions, could easily be achieved under the framework of NUSAF II.
The manager told the meeting that by the end of last year about 140,000 people were on anti-retroviral therapy (ARV), while about 135,000 new infections were recorded annually in Uganda. About 20,000 of these are children born with HIV.
TASO Mbale manager Kimera Mutebi Boogere said the lack of a CD4 count machine at the centre has caused delays in putting people on ARVs.
He said last year, the centre registered 1,788 new clients, 1,160 of them female, while medical care was provided to 9,150 individuals.
Boogere said donors would only offer support in areas of scholastic materials and the children were encouraged to enrol in UPE and USE schools.
The TASO Mbale office takes care of about 600 orphans in Mbale, Tororo and Soroti districts who have been receiving donor support to pursue primary and secondary school education in various schools.
The AIDS Support Organisation (TASO) has appealed to the Government to introduce affirmative action on poverty reduction for persons living with HIV/AIDS.
“We humbly appeal that people living with HIV/AIDS be linked to government programmes that are aimed at poverty reduction such as NAADS, NUSAF II and SACCOS,†TASO’s eastern regional manager Henry Muzoora-Karakore said while addressing the TASO Mbale centre 17th annual general meeting.
Muzoora said the enhancement of household incomes for TASO clients in Bugisu, Bukedi, Teso, Bunyoro, Karamoja, Lango, Acholi and West Nile sub-regions, could easily be achieved under the framework of NUSAF II.
The manager told the meeting that by the end of last year about 140,000 people were on anti-retroviral therapy (ARV), while about 135,000 new infections were recorded annually in Uganda. About 20,000 of these are children born with HIV.
TASO Mbale manager Kimera Mutebi Boogere said the lack of a CD4 count machine at the centre has caused delays in putting people on ARVs.
He said last year, the centre registered 1,788 new clients, 1,160 of them female, while medical care was provided to 9,150 individuals.
Boogere said donors would only offer support in areas of scholastic materials and the children were encouraged to enrol in UPE and USE schools.
The TASO Mbale office takes care of about 600 orphans in Mbale, Tororo and Soroti districts who have been receiving donor support to pursue primary and secondary school education in various schools.