Mugisha has taken the fight against HIV to boda boda cyclists
Nov 05, 2009
SHE has taken AIDS prevention to boda boda cyclists because she believes this is a high risk group which many HIV/AIDS activists have ignored. Grace Mugisha, who is living with HIV, knows well the bad side of living with ignorance in this era of HIV.
To commemorate the World AIDS Day on December 1, The New Vision, in conjunction with the parliamentary committee on HIV/AIDS, will award individuals who have played a remarkable role in the fight against HIV in their communities. Profiles of the people nominated by the public will be published everyday until the end of November.
By Frederick Womakuyu
Name: Grace Mugisha
Age: 44
Position: Counsellor and peer educator
Contribution: Responsible for the testing of over 100,000 people, accessing ARVs and forming the youth abstinence clubs in schools, churches and the community
Contact: +256772185563
SHE has taken AIDS prevention to boda boda cyclists because she believes this is a high risk group which many HIV/AIDS activists have ignored. Grace Mugisha, who is living with HIV, knows well the bad side of living with ignorance in this era of HIV.
Having lost her husband, her two uncle and brother to AIDS, perhaps no one is better placed to steer a campaign to fight this deadly virus than Mugisha.
Mugisha has become a household name in her home area in Ntungamo district. At the boda boda stage in Ntungamo town, almost every cyclist knows the bold woman who fights HIV with her campaigns.
As soon as I ask for directions, Charles Mpangire, a boda boda cyclist offers to take me to her home, 14km from town.
“I first met Mugisha in church where she talked about HIV/AIDS. She confessed that she lost her husband to AIDS and she was HIV-positive.
Mugisha encourages us to protect ourselves by abstaining, being faithful to our partners or using condoms,†Mpangire narrates as we ride off.
Mpangire, who reveals he had multiple sexual partners in the past, says Mugisha’s testimony and revelations about HIV/AIDS has changed his attitude.
“I did not have any information about HIV/AIDS and I was sleeping around with many women. I had not tested, but the day I did, I tested negative. From then I became faithful to my wife.
I also joined the campaign and encouraged other cyclists to test,†Mpangire adds. At her home, looks so confident and happy you cannot tell she has gone through misery.
She says her husband tested HIV positive in 2001. “When he broke the news to me, I cried for three months. He went to Mbarara Hospital for help and he was told to take me along for testing and counselling,†she narrates.
At Mbarara Hospital, Mugisha also tested positive and she was counselled for about a week. “I cried a lot because I thought I was going to die immediately and leave my children. I had four children and the last born was only one-and-half years old,†Mugisha recalls.
Mugisha and her husband were given treatment. “After we left the hospital, my husband died soon. I felt so sad and knew I was also going to die soon. I strengthened my faith,â€
In 2003, Mugisha was very sick but with support from her father-in-law, she was admitted to Mbarara Hospital and given Septrin for treatment.
When she got out of the hospital, she declared her HIV status in public.
“I wanted more people to be open and go for testing. Stigma against people with AIDS was high and nobody wanted to reveal their status,†she recalls.
Mugisha took advantage of community, school, health facility and school meetings to sensitise people about AIDS and how to guard against the disease or live positively with it.
“Gradually some of the people came to me for counselling and I urged them to test. I used to take them to Mbarara Hospital,â€
Mugisha convinced 500 people to test and out of these 30 tested positive. “At first, some were very scared because they thought they would die but when I counselled and took them to hospital for treatment, they stopped being worried,†she says.
Today, Grace Bagarukye, one of people counselled says he is grateful to Mugisha. “I had feared to test, but Mugisha convinced me to test.
When I tested positive, she counselled and took me for treatment. She also convinced my husband to test and today, we are living positively and we know there is life,†Bagarukye says.
Mugisha and Bagarukye formed a Christian fellowship outreach that sensitises people about HIV/AIDS and its prevention in schools, churches, health facilities and the community.
“We know the youth are our future but we also know they are at a high risk of contracting AIDS because many of them engage in unprotected sex. We have encouraged them to form HIV/AIDS prevention clubs and at least seven schools have formed them,†she says.
An abstinence club has been formed at Kyamate primary school and the members now know abstinence is a sure protection against HIV/AIDS.
Seventy-year-old Frank Muhumuza, who is member of the club, says they have over 150 members at the school and during holidays, they spread the message to the community.
“After every three months, all members go for testing and declare their results publicly,†Muhumuza explains.
Mugisha has travelled to Kabale, Kampala, Mbarara, Rukungiri and Ntungamo districts, sensitising the society about the disease. “I have done this as an individual deriving my inspiration from the suffering I went through. I want a better life for others,†she says.
“I have also given out condoms to boda boda cyclists, taxi and bus drivers,â€
Mpangire currently heads the Ntungamo Boda Boda AIDS Fighters’ Association which resulted from Mugisha’s efforts.
“Some of the members are abstaining while others are faithful to their spouses and majority use condoms,†Mpangire explains.
Richard Baguma who is also a member says “The problem with cyclists is ignorance about HIV/AIDS. I thought young girls do not have AIDS, but when Mugisha told us that one can get AIDS at any age, I am guarding myself against it,†he says.
“Mugisha has pushed thousands of people to test. At the last count, we found out she has encouraged over 100,000 people to test.
The youth, the old and the children now know more about AIDS because of her effort,†Edlida Kwasiime, a member of Mugisha’s fellowship, says.
Mugisha’s early days
Born in Kabingo village in Rukungiri district, Mugisha first heard about HIV/AIDS in 1996.
“People were saying AIDS originates from Rakai district. We didn’t think it could reach here. They used to say it was a family disease because of family habits.
They said that if a family member had skin rashes or diarrhoea, you would also get AIDS,†Mugisha explains.
“We did not know much about the disease. We were still ignorant,†she says.
Mugisha’s father who was a preacher instilled discipline in his children and taught them to read the Bible. During holidays, Mugisha says she used to dig, collect firewood and help her mother to cook.
“When I was in P6 my father taught me how to preach but when he died, I dropped out of school in P.7 due to lack of fees and later got married.â€
“I am helping the community to live better,†she says. Mugisha appeals to the Government and well-wishers to fund her sensitisation programmes and supply ARVs to the community.
By Frederick Womakuyu
Name: Grace Mugisha
Age: 44
Position: Counsellor and peer educator
Contribution: Responsible for the testing of over 100,000 people, accessing ARVs and forming the youth abstinence clubs in schools, churches and the community
Contact: +256772185563
SHE has taken AIDS prevention to boda boda cyclists because she believes this is a high risk group which many HIV/AIDS activists have ignored. Grace Mugisha, who is living with HIV, knows well the bad side of living with ignorance in this era of HIV.
Having lost her husband, her two uncle and brother to AIDS, perhaps no one is better placed to steer a campaign to fight this deadly virus than Mugisha.
Mugisha has become a household name in her home area in Ntungamo district. At the boda boda stage in Ntungamo town, almost every cyclist knows the bold woman who fights HIV with her campaigns.
As soon as I ask for directions, Charles Mpangire, a boda boda cyclist offers to take me to her home, 14km from town.
“I first met Mugisha in church where she talked about HIV/AIDS. She confessed that she lost her husband to AIDS and she was HIV-positive.
Mugisha encourages us to protect ourselves by abstaining, being faithful to our partners or using condoms,†Mpangire narrates as we ride off.
Mpangire, who reveals he had multiple sexual partners in the past, says Mugisha’s testimony and revelations about HIV/AIDS has changed his attitude.
“I did not have any information about HIV/AIDS and I was sleeping around with many women. I had not tested, but the day I did, I tested negative. From then I became faithful to my wife.
I also joined the campaign and encouraged other cyclists to test,†Mpangire adds. At her home, looks so confident and happy you cannot tell she has gone through misery.
She says her husband tested HIV positive in 2001. “When he broke the news to me, I cried for three months. He went to Mbarara Hospital for help and he was told to take me along for testing and counselling,†she narrates.
At Mbarara Hospital, Mugisha also tested positive and she was counselled for about a week. “I cried a lot because I thought I was going to die immediately and leave my children. I had four children and the last born was only one-and-half years old,†Mugisha recalls.
Mugisha and her husband were given treatment. “After we left the hospital, my husband died soon. I felt so sad and knew I was also going to die soon. I strengthened my faith,â€
In 2003, Mugisha was very sick but with support from her father-in-law, she was admitted to Mbarara Hospital and given Septrin for treatment.
When she got out of the hospital, she declared her HIV status in public.
“I wanted more people to be open and go for testing. Stigma against people with AIDS was high and nobody wanted to reveal their status,†she recalls.
Mugisha took advantage of community, school, health facility and school meetings to sensitise people about AIDS and how to guard against the disease or live positively with it.
“Gradually some of the people came to me for counselling and I urged them to test. I used to take them to Mbarara Hospital,â€
Mugisha convinced 500 people to test and out of these 30 tested positive. “At first, some were very scared because they thought they would die but when I counselled and took them to hospital for treatment, they stopped being worried,†she says.
Today, Grace Bagarukye, one of people counselled says he is grateful to Mugisha. “I had feared to test, but Mugisha convinced me to test.
When I tested positive, she counselled and took me for treatment. She also convinced my husband to test and today, we are living positively and we know there is life,†Bagarukye says.
Mugisha and Bagarukye formed a Christian fellowship outreach that sensitises people about HIV/AIDS and its prevention in schools, churches, health facilities and the community.
“We know the youth are our future but we also know they are at a high risk of contracting AIDS because many of them engage in unprotected sex. We have encouraged them to form HIV/AIDS prevention clubs and at least seven schools have formed them,†she says.
An abstinence club has been formed at Kyamate primary school and the members now know abstinence is a sure protection against HIV/AIDS.
Seventy-year-old Frank Muhumuza, who is member of the club, says they have over 150 members at the school and during holidays, they spread the message to the community.
“After every three months, all members go for testing and declare their results publicly,†Muhumuza explains.
Mugisha has travelled to Kabale, Kampala, Mbarara, Rukungiri and Ntungamo districts, sensitising the society about the disease. “I have done this as an individual deriving my inspiration from the suffering I went through. I want a better life for others,†she says.
“I have also given out condoms to boda boda cyclists, taxi and bus drivers,â€
Mpangire currently heads the Ntungamo Boda Boda AIDS Fighters’ Association which resulted from Mugisha’s efforts.
“Some of the members are abstaining while others are faithful to their spouses and majority use condoms,†Mpangire explains.
Richard Baguma who is also a member says “The problem with cyclists is ignorance about HIV/AIDS. I thought young girls do not have AIDS, but when Mugisha told us that one can get AIDS at any age, I am guarding myself against it,†he says.
“Mugisha has pushed thousands of people to test. At the last count, we found out she has encouraged over 100,000 people to test.
The youth, the old and the children now know more about AIDS because of her effort,†Edlida Kwasiime, a member of Mugisha’s fellowship, says.
Mugisha’s early days
Born in Kabingo village in Rukungiri district, Mugisha first heard about HIV/AIDS in 1996.
“People were saying AIDS originates from Rakai district. We didn’t think it could reach here. They used to say it was a family disease because of family habits.
They said that if a family member had skin rashes or diarrhoea, you would also get AIDS,†Mugisha explains.
“We did not know much about the disease. We were still ignorant,†she says.
Mugisha’s father who was a preacher instilled discipline in his children and taught them to read the Bible. During holidays, Mugisha says she used to dig, collect firewood and help her mother to cook.
“When I was in P6 my father taught me how to preach but when he died, I dropped out of school in P.7 due to lack of fees and later got married.â€
“I am helping the community to live better,†she says. Mugisha appeals to the Government and well-wishers to fund her sensitisation programmes and supply ARVs to the community.