“Offering a friendship in which people are not reduced to their problems or sicknesses; they are looked at and embraced for the infinite dignity of their humanity.” – Meeting Point International Mission Statement
The virus that causes HIV and AIDS is harmful to more than an individual’s physical wellbeing. People with the virus risk losing their loved ones and friends as a result of social stigma surrounding the disease. Adults must face telling their wives, husbands and children about the infection, and often fear telling anyone at all.
Meeting Point International, set up in three offices in and around Kampala – Kireka, Naguru and Kintintale, strives to end this stigma by speaking about HIV/AIDS and its consequences openly and honestly. Through home visits and counseling groups, workers reach out to the sick and at-risk. MPI goes a step beyond most aide organizations by educating adults, coordinating efforts between hospitals and providing on-site nursing care and medicine for the sick.
With donations from the United Nations’ World Food Programme, MPI feeds the sick and hungry, as well as more than thirty orphans who live in Meeting Point International’s Welcoming House. AVSI is MPI’s largest donor, but USAID, CESAR and individual contributions also keep the programme running.
AVSI teams up with Meeting Point International to create a sponsorship programme for children, through which individuals from all over the world can provide school fees and necessities for children in need. Sponsors open doors for their “adopted” children and receive photos and letters in return.
Recovering patients often work for MPI, eliminating the shame felt by many newcomers. Workers who are HIV positive provide living examples to those who fear for their futures. Stories shared between workers and patients create bonds powerful enough to lift individuals out of their depression, giving them the hope they need to carry on.
People in financial trouble, the elderly and the orphaned are all aided by Meeting Point International. MPI provides loans so that those in need can begin new small businesses, such as selling fruits and making bricks. Beads for Life, necklaces of hand-made beads created with magazine pages, also provide income for women who have retired from the rock-breaking business because of sickness in their families. No one’s problems are too large or small for the hearts of workers, and a solution can be found for everyone.
At Meeting Point International, people work not just to alleviate the suffering of their neighbors, but to create lasting relationships that foster happiness and good health.
To find out how you can help with MPI, contact the director, Rose Busingye, at +256 (0)77 626 757.
