I can remember like it was yesterday about my first trip to Africa.   A fellow Rotarian from my Rotary Club of Dunwoody (Atlanta, GA) asked me in 2001 if I would be interested in going to Africa with a couple of other Rotarians.  They were planning to go to Burundi (a small very poor country in Africa) to follow up the delivery of hospital equipment there.  I was surprised to be asked, but also so excited about the potential of what I could learn about HIV/AIDS at the Epicenter of the disease.   They said they could expand the trip to other African countries on the continent.   So after consulting my husband, Austin, I said yes!

If one has never traveled to a developing country, it is really difficult to appreciate the disparity between them and us (U.S. or Europe, etc.)  There are such extremes in the world – not only in terms of poverty levels, but also health care infrastructure, literacy, stable/or unstable governments and especially the rights of women!  The women in the developing world have NO rights, especially when it comes to negotiating safer sex, regardless of whether the partner is her husband and/or is HIV Positive!  That was really a surprise to me and has continued to be a very concerning issue.

On that first trip, I learned so much.  And I also had a particularly memorable experience.    You have to remember that I am only a Mom that lost a child to AIDS – not a Public Health Expert nor a World Traveler.

When we were in Kampala, Uganda, the Rotarians there wanted to take us to a rural area about an hour’s drive from the capitol city.  They wanted us to meet a Grandmother of ten grandchildren whose parents had ALL died of AIDS – and she ended up being responsible for raising these ten children.   The Kampala Rotarians were very proud of the fact that they had built her a much better “hut” for her to live in with the children.

We arrived at her humble hut, and she was so surprised that she had visitors.  Three of her grandchildren were hanging on her skirts, very shy of strangers.  We explained (through translators) that we were from the United States and that we were hoping that many Rotarians would be able to help her and others like her.  She became quite animated, and she told us that she wanted to begin a business whereby she would earn money by buying/and then re-selling coal to the people in the community.  We casually asked her “how much would it cost to begin this business?”  She answered “Maybe $100 USD. ”  My fellow Rotarian from the U.S. and I looked at each other and said:  $50.00 a piece?”  — We both nodded Yes, pulled out our wallets and handed her the money.   She got down on her knees and cried, grabbing our hands in appreciation – and we all dissolved in tears.   To this day, we remember this Grandmother and the fact that we are part of an entrepreneurial enterprise in Uganda!!

I will never forget that moment and feel so lucky to have experienced it.

Best to all,

Marion