HIV/AIDS Awareness Program Lead, HAFT Uganda
Rauben has been leading HIV/AIDS awareness and stigma-reduction work in Kabarole for over six years. He works closely with district health offices, local churches, and community leaders to build environments where testing and treatment are seen as acts of strength, not shame.
Raised :
$950.00
Goals :
$4,000.00
Progress :
23.8%
Knowledge Is the Most Powerful Medicine — But Only If It Reaches Everyone
In Kabarole District, HIV/AIDS prevalence remains among the highest in Uganda. But the virus itself is not the only enemy. The greater enemy is silence — the silence of shame, of stigma, of misinformation that convinces people that ignorance is safer than knowing the truth.
Our team is actively breaking that silence — in villages, homes, schools, and churches across Western Uganda.
The Reality of HIV in Our Communities
Behind the statistics are real people — parents, children, neighbors — who are living with HIV without knowing it. They are not on treatment. They are unknowingly transmitting the virus. And when they do find out, too many face rejection from their families and communities rather than support.
- Many adults in rural communities have never had an HIV test — despite years of being sexually active
- Misconceptions about transmission remain widespread, driving fear and discrimination
- Women in particular face heightened risk from partners who refuse testing or condom use
- Adolescents and young people receive little or no formal sexual health education
- People living with HIV face daily discrimination in employment, housing, and social life
"When I tested positive, I told no one for two years. I was ashamed. When the HAFT team came to our village, I finally understood — I was not alone, and I could still live a full life. That conversation saved me."
— Community member, name withheld, Kabarole District
What HAFT Is Currently Doing
Community Health Talks and Sensitization Campaigns
Our volunteer health workers are currently delivering structured HIV/AIDS awareness sessions in villages, markets, schools, and faith communities across Kabarole and neighboring districts. These sessions cover transmission, prevention, the importance of testing, and the realities of living well with HIV.
Support for Voluntary Counseling and Testing
We escort community members to testing sites and provide follow-up support for those who receive a positive result — connecting them with antiretroviral treatment programs and peer support networks.
Stigma Reduction Work with Families and Community Leaders
We are working directly with local leaders, church elders, and parents to dismantle the stigma that forces people into silence. When leaders speak openly about HIV, communities follow.
How Your Donation Saves Lives
- $20 — covers the cost of one community health talk session reaching 50 people
- $60 — funds a volunteer health worker for one week of home visits and follow-up
- $150 — supports a full village sensitization campaign including printed materials and testing linkage
- $400 — funds one month of HIV/AIDS outreach across an entire sub-county
Why This Cannot Wait
Every person who tests and starts treatment is a person who lives longer and does not unknowingly transmit the virus. Every community that learns to replace stigma with support becomes a safer place for its most vulnerable members.
The science is clear: with access to treatment, people living with HIV can live full, healthy lives. Our job is to make sure they know that — and that they feel safe enough to act on it.
Donate today and help us bring knowledge, testing, and compassion where they are needed most.
