An estimated 1.3 million people are living with HIV in Uganda leading to 26,000 AIDS related deaths with women and young women disproportionately affected. * Here at Starlight Family we can see how the AIDS epidemic directly affects lives as several children who have lost their mother from the illness are under our care. Lack of resources, stigma and discrimination mean that many people are still not accessing HIV testing or treatment which is reported to be a key route to reduce fatalities. In March 2019 Starlight Family supporter David Pitschi Amrein paid for 500 children from Starlight Family primary school and Uganda Martyrs high school to be tested for the HIV virus. The results were promising as only two children were found to have the virus and they will be able to access free government medication to suppress the virus. However local free health facilities are severely lacking in this rural area and Starlight Family wishes to provide access to testing for others in the community as well as facilitate prevention, testing and treatment for other common diseases such as malaria and typhoid. Please contact us if you wish to support this initiative.
* https://www.avert.org/professionals/hiv-around-world/sub-saharan-africa/uganda
