TAPP Visits
The Tumaini AIDS Prevention Program (TAPP) is an important ministry to reach out to those affected by the HIV crisis in Uganda. Each client of the program is "living positively" with HIV. And, each visit we make to Uganda gives us the opportunity to visit these clients, offer encouragement and some sustenance, and pray with them and for them.
In the village, we visited clients nearby and down the road. The first day, Scott, Kimberly, and Sherry visited three homes and were caught in the rain. The next day, Delbert, Carl, and Ralph followed up with other clients that required a little bit of a drive to get there.
Each trip is humbling. Being labeled as HIV+ brings with it a stigma that divides families and a separation from society while also dramatically limiting the ability to make a living. TAPP offers a client training and other opportunities to make a living by selling handmade items like jewelry, facial scrubbers, sculptures, paintings, etc.
Today, Carl, Christine, and I visited three clients in the Bukasa area from the office at Murchison Bay (Kampala). The first client, a widow, lived in two rooms with her mother (who could not get up and was quite ill), her sister (who has epilepsy), and her four children, and a grandchild. Rent: $40/month. She sells prepared food just outside her home to make money. She, along with all the clients we visited, were overwhelmed with our visit and encouragement. The other two clients made a living in a few ways, but primarily by working in the quarries breaking down rocks at about 35 cents for a wheelbarrow full. It takes a day to fill two wheel barrows. That's right, 70 cents a day.
So, the next time you see TAPP jewelry or other articles being sold, take a moment and purchase one. If you don't need it, then give it as a gift. By purchasing it, you've already blessed someone. Giving it away would make it a double blessing.
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| A TAPP client with Scott and her children |
Each trip is humbling. Being labeled as HIV+ brings with it a stigma that divides families and a separation from society while also dramatically limiting the ability to make a living. TAPP offers a client training and other opportunities to make a living by selling handmade items like jewelry, facial scrubbers, sculptures, paintings, etc.
Today, Carl, Christine, and I visited three clients in the Bukasa area from the office at Murchison Bay (Kampala). The first client, a widow, lived in two rooms with her mother (who could not get up and was quite ill), her sister (who has epilepsy), and her four children, and a grandchild. Rent: $40/month. She sells prepared food just outside her home to make money. She, along with all the clients we visited, were overwhelmed with our visit and encouragement. The other two clients made a living in a few ways, but primarily by working in the quarries breaking down rocks at about 35 cents for a wheelbarrow full. It takes a day to fill two wheel barrows. That's right, 70 cents a day.
So, the next time you see TAPP jewelry or other articles being sold, take a moment and purchase one. If you don't need it, then give it as a gift. By purchasing it, you've already blessed someone. Giving it away would make it a double blessing.
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