CAP AIDS President, Kevin Perkins (second from left), and CAP AIDS Director of Programs in Africa, Gizaw Shibru (right), admire Eunice Akello (seated) at work.

Eunice is a beneficairy of our CAP AIDS' Vocational Training Program in Agwata District of Northern Uganda. In addition to the 6-month tailoring course, we provided her with a a sewing maching and start-up materials. 

Eunice now makes about $5 a day making school uniforms. Now she can take care of herself, her little sister and her grandmother. They used to be hungry all the time.

Letter from Africa

October, 2009

Dear Bike-to-CAP AIDS Supporter,

I am writing from Uganda, where I have been spending time with the staff and volunteers of CAP AIDS Uganda and visiting our partners and the people that are benefiting from your contributions to CAP AIDS.I have good news: your contribution to our Bike-a-Thon – whether as a rider or someone who sponsored a rider – is making an important difference to the lives of people effected by HIV+AIDS in this country.

Within days of the completion of our June Bike-a-Thon, we sent an initial $20,000 to CAP AIDS Uganda to keep the bikes going to community-based HIV+AIDS groups. More will follow soon.This is what I saw and heard:        

• In the Agwata sub-county of northern Uganda, I met with partners that had received and distributed a total of 150 bicycles to HIV+AIDS volunteers. These bikes were made possible by YOU. I saw the bikes in action, and heard from the people who used them just how helpful they have been. The community was proud to tell me that all the bikes had been well maintained and were still being used as we had intended. They can now visit far more bed-ridden AIDs patients and bring them care, comfort, and other assistance on a regular basis. Young people can conduct peer education workshops with more young people in hard-to-reach communities. Our Local Heroes use bikes to deliver care to more people more regularly.

• In the town of Lira, I met with the Neighbourhood Women’s Group, an organization that has received about 30 bikes thanks to your efforts.       

• In the Aboke sub-county, I met with the Aboke HIV+AIDS Women’s Association. You have helped us give this group 10 bicycles, which they have been using in the same way – bringing more care, assistance, and education to people in their communities. Because they managed the bike program so efficiently, we have offered to partner with them on a 3-year program to provide vocational skills training and related materials (e.g. handtools and sewing machines) to over 90 orphaned youth.

We will also work with them to provide life-skills education to 800 vulnerable youth and to help 15 AIDS widows (most of them HIV+) establish small cooperative businesses. I know that Africa is a long way from Canada, and it is very hard to see the results of your donations to CAP AIDS. I also know that, with all the other challenges facing the world, it is hard to give AIDS the attention it continues to deserve.

So I want you to know that the benefits of your support are real and they are substantial and they are very much appreciated. And while, together, we have made a direct difference, it is also true that we need to do more. There are many more community groups and individuals effected by HIV+AIDS that need bikes so that they can serve more people.

So I hope you continue to support CAP AIDS through the next bike-a-thon, which will happen in June 2010. And in the meantime, if you’d like to help an AIDS-orphaned youth or widow get the support they need to get a job or start a small business, you can make a donation now at www.capaids.org.

When you help an orphaned youth to get back on her or his feet, you are also assisting their younger brothers and sisters, who depend on them to put food on the table and help them stay in school.

With sincere thanks,

KEVIN PERKINS

CAP AIDS President & Volunteer