President Bush Discusses Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief
Remarks by the President to the AIDS Support Organization Centre
Entebbe, Uganda
4:10 P.M. (Local)
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. Please be seated, unless you don't
have a chair. (Laughter.)
Thank you so much for the gracious welcome. And I want to thank
the people of Uganda for such a warm welcome for -- for Laura and me.
We love being here. (Applause.) I'm really glad we came.
I want to thank the President for his hospitality, and the First
Lady, I want to thank you for your hospitality as well.
This is such a land of hope in the heart of Africa. That's the
best way to describe it. (Applause.) And I bring with me the good
wishes of the American people to the citizens of Uganda.
I'm especially thankful to the staff and volunteers of TASO. I
appreciate you, Dr. Alex*. Thank you for your tour and your
hospitality. (Applause.) You know, it's one thing to hear about the
ravages of AIDS or to read about them, another thing to see them first
hand.
I oftentimes talk about the armies of compassion in my own
country. There's no doubt in my mind today I met generals in the
armies -- in the worldwide army of compassion. And I want to thank all
of you who are involved in the fight to deal with this terrible
pandemic.
A small place, a small house. You're doing great works of
compassion. (Applause.) And the influence of TASO is bigger than you
think. You have worldwide influence here, because you've provided a
model of care for Uganda. You've shown what can work here in this
country. And Uganda, by confronting AIDS aggressively and directly, is
giving hope to peoples all across the continent of Africa. We know
what it takes to fight AIDS because TASO clinics and others like them
are showing the way.
People who come through these doors need medical treatment and you
provide it. People who come here needing to learn about AIDS
prevention, you give them important information.
Men and women sometimes come to this place with terrible fears and
a broken spirit. You receive them with kindness. You help them gain
skills. You care for their families. You encourage them to go forward
with life.
The AIDS virus does its worst harm in an atmosphere of secrecy and
unreasoning fear. TASO is speaking the truth. The President of Uganda
speaks the truth. (Applause.) And therefore you're overcoming the
stigma of the disease, and you're lifting despair. You're welcoming
lonely, isolated people as brothers and sisters. You treat every soul
with respect and dignity, because that's the only way to treat a child
of God. (Applause.)
The disease of AIDS is fought with knowledge and medical skill. It
also is fought with decent and loving hearts. TASO began here 16 years
ago because of the vision of one woman. It's been my honor and Laura's
honor to meet Noreen*. (Applause.) Noreen*, thank you.
Noreen* is a catalyst for change -- (applause) -- a remarkable
soul, who acted when she lost her husband Charles to AIDS. Here's what
Irene said. She said, I used to ask him, when he was ill, as you were
lying there, what is the most precious thing? And he would say, just
touching me, holding my hand, just being there. And, says Noreen*, you
don't have to be a doctor to do that.
The caring people of TASO have transformed so many lives, as Agnes
told us. Agnes, we appreciate your testimony and we appreciate your
love. (Applause.) Her husband died in 1992 of AIDS, and TASO
counselors encouraged her to get tested. She discovered she also had
HIV and feared she did not have long to live. The clinic gave her
treatment. Counselors brought food to her family and paid the school
fees for one of her daughters.
In 1994, Agnes started volunteering to help at TASO, by teaching
children and counseling other women who have lost their husbands. She
says that when people hear her story, they begin to think different:
they get courage, they have the will to live.
Others here at TASO have shown the courage that turns loss and fear
into something positive and good. Godfrey Monda* has worked here for a
decade. In addition to supporting his own children, he cares for six
children left by his two sisters, who died of AIDS. Godfrey* is a
counselor to about 300 people in his region. Every three months, he
and several co-workers take a boat to Goosie Island* on Lake Victoria,
where they train volunteers to combat AIDS, and provide AIDS education
with a drama group. Because of this good man's work, others will be
spared from the grief his family has known.
And that is the kind of devotion and unselfish effort that turning
the tide against AIDS requires all across the continent of Africa and
all across the world. You're leading the way here in Uganda.
To win this fight, governments must also act with compassion and
purpose. Governments have got to lead. And, Mr. President, you're
leading, and so is your administration. And I've been honored to meet
the ministers of health, the AIDS coordinator, people of your Cabinet
who understand when President Museveni says, we must deal with the
issue honestly and openly and compassionately.
President Museveni and Uganda have pursued a direct and
comprehensive anti-AIDS strategy. They emphasize abstinence and
marital fidelity, as well as condoms to prevent HIV transmissions.
They developed a strategy, they're implementing the strategy for the
whole world to see, and the results have been magnificent. (Applause.)
Their approach has reduced the HIV infection rate to 5 percent in
this country, the most dramatic decline in the world. For many in
Uganda, the value of this achievement is beyond measure. Men and women
are gaining years of life. More Ugandan children are growing up with
mothers and fathers, and this country is reclaiming its future. Life
by life, village by village, Uganda is showing that AIDS can be
defeated across Africa. (Applause.)
However, the current efforts to oppose the disease are simply not
equal to the need. And America understands that. Nearly 30 million
people on this continent are living with HIV/AIDS, including 3 million
children under the age of 15. More than 4 million people require
immediate drug treatment, but just 1 percent of them are receiving the
medicine they require.
Africa has the will to fight AIDS, but it needs the resources, as
well. (Applause.) And this is my country's pledge to the people of
Africa and the people of Uganda: You are not alone in this fight.
America -- (applause) -- America has decided to act. Over the next
five years -- (applause) -- over the next five years, my country will
spend $15 billion on the fight -- (applause) -- to fight AIDS around
the world, with special focus here on the continent of Africa. We'll
work with governments and private groups and faith-based organizations
to put in place a comprehensive system to prevent, to diagnose and to
treat AIDS. We will support abstinence-based education for young
people in schools and churches and community centers. We will provide
comprehensive services to treat millions of new infections.
Throughout all regions of targeted countries, we'll provide HIV
testing, we'll purchase anti-retroviral medications and other drugs
that are needed to extend lives. (Applause.) We will help establish
broad and efficient networks to deliver drugs, including by motorcycle,
just as you did here in Uganda. We will help build and renovate and
equip clinics and laboratories. We will prepare doctors and nurses and
other health care professionals to treat AIDS more effectively.
The resources our country provides will help to hire and train
childcare workers, to look after orphans, and to provide care at home
to many AIDS patients. In other words, we want to join you in the war
against the pandemic of AIDS. We want to be on your side in a big
way. (Applause.)
This is the proper place for me to summarize the initiative that
I've laid out before Congress. Because there's no doubt about it, in
order to be effective, there has to be a willingness on the part of the
people of the country and you've got a willingness here in Uganda.
You've got good leadership. You've got good leadership in your
religious institutions. You've got good leadership throughout your
government. You've got fantastic doctors. You've got the people
themselves that are willing to rise up and to confront the disease.
You know, I believe God has called us into action. I believe we
have a responsibility -- my country has got a responsibility. We are a
great nation, we're a wealthy nation. We have a responsibility to help
a neighbor in need, a brother and sister in crisis. And that's what
I'm here to talk about. And I want to thank you for giving me the
chance. (Applause.)
I want to thank you for giving me the chance to come and share the
compassion of my country for the people who suffer. We look forward to
working with you. We look forward to being on the forefront of saying
that when history called, we responded. (Applause.)
So, Mr. President, I'm honored that you would receive us. Laura
and I are thrilled to be spending time in your beautiful country. I
want to thank those who have provided witness and provided music. I
want to thank you all for your hospitality. May God bless the people
of Uganda. May God continue to bless the United States of America.
Thank you very much.