ROSEMARY NAKIJOBA

ROSEMARY NAKIJOBA - UGANDA

As Program Deputy Director for Kitovu Mobile Aids Home Care Counseling and Orphans Program for eight years, Rosemary Nakijoba observed firsthand the devastating effects of HIV/AIDS on women and children and the positive impact of counseling and treatment services. Witnessing the extreme conditions of the Internally Displaced People’s Camp in her village, set up for people fleeing from rebel violence, Rosemary founded the Tii Ki Komi Women’s Project in 2002 to focus on women with HIV/AIDS. The project, “a baby I am nurturing . . . trains and empowers women to do income-generating activities to reduce poverty and disease, advocates for their rights, counsels those suffering from HIV/AIDS and refers them to treatment centers, and supports the education of orphans and vulnerable children.”

Vision: Empowering Women and Combating AIDS through Transformational Training

Rosemary’s vision is to create a social transformation training center that will empower women to design training programs and advocacy strategies to alleviate poverty and reduce the impact of HIV/AIDS on their communities. The center will also create a network of women who can expand its mission into neighboring counties. Above all, as Rosemary explains, the center will transform the women: “Many women are marginalized and exploited, and their mindset is that they are meant to be poor and dependent. This mindset creates poverty, the ultimate expression of human rights abuse. To undo it, we must construct a different mindset and become agents of change.”