AEGY coordinator Leo Mmerewoma (left), helps his guests Margaret Taima and Stanley Wankona get comfortable during the weekly radio program, in Kamuli, Uganda, dedicated to informing people about AIDS. Taima and Wankona were on the show to share their testimony of how they are dealing with having AIDS. Teachers for a night
Justin Moresco Margaret Taima and Stanley Wankona are two of the thousands huddled over radios on any given Saturday night in this poor, rural area of Uganda. But this Saturday night, Margaret and Stanley, both HIV-positive, have flicked the power switches to 'off' and traveled to the Radio Empanga studio to give testimonies of their survival. They are guests on a weekly AIDS awareness radio program sponsored and hosted by the local non-governmental organization AIDS Education Group for Youth (AEGY), whose only source of funding is MCC. Since 1993 AEGY has fought the spread of HIV/AIDS in the Busoga region of Uganda, and responded to the needs of people suffering from the disease's grip. A recent survey by Uganda's Ministry of Health estimates at least 800,000 adults are infected with HIV in the country, representing a 7 percent national prevalence rate. The 90-minute radio program is one of the few reliable sources of information on HIV/AIDS for many in the region, which has a population of at least 3 million and a high illiteracy rate. That might help explain why Leo Mmerewoma, AEGY's coordinator and the program's co-host, has become a bit of a local celebrity. "I am always overwhelmed when people in these little villages have listened to the program," says Leo. "Many of them don't have phones or electricity, but they can hear the show on a friend's radio." In 2004 the show was voted the best program by Radio Empanga listeners, proof of its popularity. The station's program coordinator says it is particularly effective with the region's youth. Each Saturday night Leo and his co-host, George Nnaku, a clinical officer at a regional health clinic, present a new theme. Upcoming shows will look at positive living or caring for a dying person. This night they will discuss caring for an HIV-infected person at home. Before they get to that, however, Leo has two special guests in the studio he has asked to introduce themselves to the listeners. Stanley says he is 45 years old and has nine children. He tested positive in 1990, but didn't believe it until a second test recorded the same result. His wife has tested negative, and they survive as peasant farmers, although making enough money for his children's school fees is challenging. Margaret says she is 40 years old and has six children. She tested HIV-positive in 1994 and her husband died from AIDS in 2000. These days she toils in her garden and raises pigs, goats and cows. She says earning enough money for her children's school fees is difficult. But she is optimistic about her future; she speculates that she will live another 50 years. Asked by Leo for their advice for those living with HIV/AIDS, they say: Be strong, stay active, eat a balanced diet, keep your house clean, brush your teeth regularly, avoid alcohol and smoking, pray to God. On this Saturday night, Margaret and Stanley have become teachers for us.
|
|
|
