July 2019

When Uganda Needed a Hero, Eunice Kabagambe Stepped up

“When you talk about the story of a successful fight against HIV/AIDS in Uganda, you cannot leave out Eunice Kabagambe, who dedicated her time, life, and resources to the fight,” says Stephen Sebudde, the district health officer for Kanungu, a rural district in western Uganda.

Eunice is a fulltime volunteer with the USAID Regional Health Integration to Enhance Services (RHITES), which is funded through the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and implemented by the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF).

In November 2017, Eunice was honored as the PEPFAR Hero of the Year for her relentless dedication to her clients at the Kihihi Health Center IV in southwest Uganda and for her pioneering leadership with the Kanungu People Living with HIV/AIDS Network.

Eunice began her journey of service in the late 1990s when HIV/AIDS was silently killing people throughout Uganda. At that time, about 100,000 Ugandans were dying each year from AIDS-related illnesses.

Eunice became alarmed when her husband got sick and started to waste away. Both of his parents and all of his brothers and sisters had already died from similar illnesses.

“He fought the disease for almost a year, which left me without a coin in the end,” says Eunice. “It was on the second day of July 1999 that he breathed his last—at the age of 36. I was 32 years old with three children, including a 1-year-old.”

After her husband’s death, Eunice and her infant were constantly ill, which led a doctor to counsel her about having an HIV test. She agreed to take the test and learned that she is HIV-positive, along with her baby.

“I got scared,” says Eunice. “As a single mother taking care of all the needs of the children was not easy. I felt stigma, but fortunately I received adequate counseling and accepted my status.”

In 2001, Eunice disclosed her HIV status to a gathering of leaders. This led to the creation of the Kanungu People Living with HIV/AIDS Network, with Eunice being elected secretary. She has never looked back.

The HIV/AIDS information network created after Eunice’s disclosure is now a pivotal resource center for hundreds of community members. At the time when there were no HIV test kits, drugs, or antiretroviral treatment (ART) clinics in her district, she advocated for HIV services, and eventually succeeded.

In addition, Eunice established an early childhood development center at her home for HIV-positive children, where she monitored their health, growth, and nutrition and provided drugs and treatment.

“I give to my community because I feel that it is my obligation,” says Eunice. “I remember the time when I was so sick that I needed some help.

“People would come to my home. They wanted guidance. They needed their hope to be rebuilt. So I had to support them.”

In 2003, Eunice became a trained counselor with EGPAF. “I locate clients at their homes, places of worship, and the healthy center,” says Eunice. “During counseling session. I talk about my own life experiences with them, and how adherence to treatment has worked for me.”

“I appreciate her so much,” says Elizabeth Nassaser, 22, one of the 15 orphans that Eunice took in. “She has been a mother to me. She has helped me to adhere to my HIV treatment. Now I am walking in her footsteps as a peer mentor.”

“I am inspired by her courage,” says Eunice of Elizabeth. “You feel good when you raise a child and you see her mirror what you are doing. I hope that in the future she will be a big person in the fight against HIV—because she has the courage, she has the good will, and she has the heart to help others. And when she grows big, she will do something for the nation.”

“I feel triumphant to see children grow up and get their education and basic needs,” says Eunice. “I have overcome stigma and now have two grandchildren.