Singing and Dancing AIDS Away

Photo credit: Nyaka

The motivation for the Anti-AIDS Club was simple: every student at Nyaka School had been personally affected by AIDS. The school is in Uganda's Kanungu district, one of the poorest in Uganda, and also one of the hardest hit by the HIV/AIDS pandemic. All of Nyaka School's 150 students have lost one or both parents to the virus.

"Instead of complaining and being mad at the virus we decided to do something about it," said Twesigye J. Kaguri, one of Nyaka School's founders. The Anti-AIDS Club was one of their solutions. The club, made up entirely of students from Nyaka, uses song and dance to teach people of all ages about HIV/AIDS. In a place where AIDS is the leading cause of death, students are spreading valuable lessons about prevention, treatment and living with the virus.

In the past, children from Uganda who lost parents were cared for by their extended families. But the AIDS pandemic has put such a great strain on families that they must struggle to care for their own and cannot afford to take on any other children. Left to fend for themselves at a young age, orphans have to take on adult responsibilities to survive, such as doing their parents' work.

The Nyaka AIDS Foundation, NetAid's new World Schoolhouse partner, is working at the grassroots level to make sure that AIDS orphans in Uganda's Kanungu district are not deprived of an education or any other rights. At Nyaka School, AIDS orphans get a quality education that is 100 percent free. 

Through programs like the Anti-AIDS Club, Nyaka School is reaching beyond its classrooms to start a community-wide dialogue around the growing pandemic. The club has performed in neighboring schools, churches and at public gatherings. Their audiences are filled with children who, like the students at Nyaka, have lost family and friends to AIDS. In Kanungu district alone, more than 4,000 children have been orphaned by the virus. In a region wracked by loss, the students' performances bring promise of a brighter future. 

Nyaka's Mr. Kaguri has big plans for the members of the club: "One day, it would be nice for the students to perform in New York." For now, the members will continue learning and teaching, helping their community tackle the ongoing challenge of HIV/AIDS.

Learn more about the Nyaka AIDS Foundation and support the education of AIDS orphans in Uganda.