    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book II)]
    [July 11, 2003]
    [Pages 860-862]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at The AIDS Support Organisation Centre in Entebbe
    July 11, 2003

        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 Laura and me. We love being here. 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, is the best way
    to describe it. 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. You know, it's one thing to hear about
    the ravages of AIDS or to read about them; it's another thing to see
    them firsthand.
        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. 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.

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    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. 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.
        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 Noerine. Noerine, thank you. Noerine is a catalyst for change,
    a remarkable soul who acted when she lost her husband, Charles, to AIDS.
    Here's what Noerine said. She said, ``I used to ask him, when he was
    ill, `As you are lying there, what is the most precious thing?''' And he
    would say, ``Just touching me, holding my hand, just being there.''
    ``And,'' says Noerine, ``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. 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 3 months, he and several coworkers 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.
        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.
        However, the current efforts to oppose the disease are simply not
    equal to the

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    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. 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 has decided
    to act. Over the next 5 years, my country will spend $15 billion on the
    fight--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 antiretroviral medications and other drugs that
    are needed to extend lives. 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.
        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. 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.
        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.

    Note: The President spoke at 4:10 p.m. In his remarks, he referred to
    President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni of Uganda and his wife, Janet; and Alex
    G. Coutinho, director, and Noerine Kaleeba, founder, The AIDS Support
    Organisation.