Emily, Project Leader, sets the scene...

It is hard to begin to explain the experience of working out in Uganda on behalf of The Great Generation. I have never seen such an industrious, innovative and enterprising response to hardship and poverty.  Uganda embodies The Great Generation.  This is a country full of entrepreneurs and people who refuse to give up.

We have been working with a number of Community Based Organisations (CBOs) - whom we call our Expert Partners - most of which have developed holistic responses to the spread and impact of HIV Aids. While Uganda has been successfully working towards reducing HIV Aids rates on a national scale, there still exists a regional variation which sees some lake side settlements with rates still as high as 35%.  The work to join sectors in the fight against disease and poverty is ongoing.

Our partner organisations are all run by individual community leaders who want to give back, who refuse to walk away from the problems that exist in their communities.  They battle with faulty infrastructure on a daily basis to achieve their mission.  One of our partners has managed to set up delivery of free anti retroviral treatment to all members of their community who are HIV positive.  This has involved continual work, continual pushing, lobbying.  The drugs arrive and people refuse to take them because they cannot guarantee their next meal.  There are numerous factors which trap people into the cycle of poverty and disease, but for our community partners this will not deter their delivery, and the team will continue to fight on all levels, bringing dignity, prosperity and health to the people of Uganda.  We have much to learn from their approach.

We are proud to be working in Uganda, building the capacity of Expert Partners and their community activities.  This is an opportunity to share our knowledge, experience and goodwill, and join the battle against hardship on all levels. We have far to go before the Millennium Development Goals are achieved, but one thing is for sure, we need to work together to get there, listening to the real need that exist at a community level, and responding with appropriate, locally defined solutions.