October 30, 2007

When Stella Kasirye speaks, I listen.  Stella is Ugandan, but now lives in Malawi with her foster daughter who is HIV+.  Stella has lost several siblings to AIDS, as well as her beloved adopted infant son, Hezekiah.  Her personal losses and her professional background have fueled her passion to empower African churches to care for orphans, widows, and the sick, and to fight the poverty that feeds this epidemic. I sat with Stella as she prepared to speak at Willow’s Global Poverty & AIDS Forum.

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We watched a video clip Stella had selected to introduce her talk. “This is exactly what it’s like for women in Africa,” she said. “This is what I’ve seen. It’s so real.” The clip was from the movie, Yesterday, which can be rented in any video store. It is a beautiful and tragic film, filled with the reality of despair and hope and a mother’s love.  It’s an amazing film, but don’t take my word for it. Listen to Stella. She knows.

Also, there are some great next steps, free tools, and resources from the Global Poverty and AIDS Forum