My daughter, Alison Turro, was privileged to spend almost 12 weeks, at the Nyaka School in 2009. Thank you, Jackson, for welcoming and embracing her during that visit. I know that she will return. It is a special place.

Does the juxtaposition of Jackon’s story and Manute Bol’s remind anyone else of Mother Teresa’s simple approach, ie to address an overwhelming problem one loving intervention at a time?

“If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one.”

How can ordinary people respond to the AIDS pandemic? Here’s an idea starter home buyers and sellers, as well as anyone in the real estate industry, can use to brainstorm about fund raising strategies for AIDS orphans.
http://bit.ly/SaveASAP

I have been working in Uganda since 2003 as the founder and director of the PanAfrican Acupuncture Project. I am very proud to hear about the Building a School Stone by Stone Project, as it empowers the people themselves. My project does the same by training healthcare providers how to use a simple form of acupuncture to help people with HIV/AIDS, malaria, and TB. In light of the current US support of HIV treatment in Uganda, as detailed in the NY Times article, the providers we train our able to provide a reduction in suffering and an improvement in quality of life in those who are denied treatment or who are unable to access it. I would like to make one comment: We often talk about what we can give to the people of Uganda, but in doing so we miss the opportunity to appreciate all that they have to teach us. My life has not only been changed by being able to make a difference but by recognizing the great wealth of spirit, love, and kindness and the sense of community and caring the people of Uganda have.

“We are losing the battle against HIV/AIDS” These are the words of a leading scientist at Dartmouth Medical School – where a conference is being held this week, gathering together ninety of the world’s experts on the subject. Attempts at formulating a vaccine have failed; the worldwide rates of the disease grow steadily. Ten per cent of the District of Columbia is infected, and that’s more than the percentage in several African countries. HIV/AIDS remains rampant worldwide yet we have grown used to thinking it’s under control. Far from it. As always, education is a potent tool against this psychosocial-medical monster.

Thank you to Vicking Penguin Publishers and NPR for organizing this interview. We are learners and we will read all comments and learn from each other. The best is yet to come.

[...] Today, Jackson was interviewed on NPR’s On Point segment. It’s available as a podcast here. Emma Mugisha joined in from Kampala and made some good points as well. This entry was posted [...]

Absolutely love the philosophy behind Nyaka. I have a passion to do the same in rural Zimbabwe. It will happen. One man’s vision can revolutionize a country. Thanks for being a trailblazer Twesigye

Thank you, Twesigye Kaguri, for your story lends us the strength and the encouragement to continue with our own grassroots nonprofit (www.hopeforlimpopo.org) which supports AIDs orphaned children in the Limpopo Province of SA (Vhutshilo Mountain School)as well as a victim empowerment group (Thohoyandou Victim Empowerment Programme) which supports abused women and children. We’ve purchased a case of your book, The Price of Stones, to share with people and to encourage them to understand the constant, ongoing battle you have undertaken (as have we)…for who would dare to say that any one child is more worthy than the next? We have grown from a school of 8 orphans housed in a mobile home to over 60 children in a 4 classroom brick school. Once begun, this endeavor is impossible to stop for one problem uncovers the next. Your story does indeed remind us that even one small step forward brings us closer to our wonderful destination and occasionally we allow ourselves to look over our shoulder, as you must do, and appreciate how far we have traveled. Thank goodness for our naivete for if we had realized the difficulties we would meet along the way we may never have begun this worthwhile journey. Thank you for your encouragement.