Mityana, Uganda, a rural village west of Kampala 2001, by
Christopher Kigongo, a Ugandan physician Their story: As the
Director of health education for the country of Uganda, Dr.
Christopher Kigongo was well aware of the AIDS statistics for
his country. Not content to just script health education
messages, he wanted to provide practical care for the children
in his home village who were struggling because of the effects
of AIDS on their families and the economy. Many children were
leaving school to look for petty jobs to help feed themselves
and their families, often putting themselves at risk of HIV
infection, other sexually transmitted diseases, and teen
pregnancy. Dr. Kigongo started Naama Millennium School to
provide affordable education and basic nutrition and shelter for
those most in need. The school began in 2001 with 77 children
and 5 teachers. By 2006 it had 321 students, 10 teachers and 2
support staff. The number of children who had lost one or both
parents increased from 13 to 113.