Visit to Mbale

Following a bumpy and hot five hour trip to Mbale we had the privilege of seeing the work of ACET (AIDS Care Education & Training)in the locality. We enjoyed a comprehensive presentation of their work at their offices including some excellent educational materials that they use in schools. They also gave us Uganda's best samosas.

First stop was a school, similar to the slum schools of Kampala but with more space. A fantastic welcome, as ever, and an introduction by a well motivated teacher who explained the partnership with ACET. Essentially, ACET's schools work revolves aropund life skills education focusing on AIDS/HIV prevention and general sex education. This class of 10-12 year olds then presented some riddles, poems and songs that they had learnt about HIV. Their level of embarrassment was low and their knowledge about HIV was high which was a real credit to both the male and female member of staff that ACET trains in each school to deliver their programme.

Next up was an entirely different project, a drinking club in a remote village. A striking contrast to Kampala, in the middle of denser vegetation including coffee plants and the ubiquitous banana trees. Upon arrival we were warmly greeted by the village and the women were wailing in that high pitched African style that you may have heard in films. About seven men and women sat supping from an earthenware pot with lengthy bamboo like straws, quite a sight. The millet based alcoholic drink was regularly topped up for the locals. The rest of the village surrounded us and the Chair of the drinking club spoke of his partnership with ACET. He explained how people would get very drunk and then have sex carelessly thus spreading the deadly virus. ACET's teaching of them at the drinking club, where they have a captive audience, had encouraged them not to get drunk and had educated them about the risks that cause the transmission of HIV. We questioned some folk and it was good to see a correlation between what ACET were telling us and what the punters were saying, this seemed to be a great project, many of the people had now been tested for HIV too. Another encouragement was the level of people in nearby communities who had become Christians and left the drinking clubs behind.

It was a super trip where we got to see a very different side to Uganda and learn about the encouraging work of ACET.