The AIDS Support Organization explained

The AIDS Support Organization
Formation:1987
Founder:Noerine Kaleeba
Type:Non-governmental organization
Purpose:Humanitarian
Headquarters:Uganda

The AIDS Support Organization (TASO) is an indigenous HIV and AIDS service initiative, registered in Uganda as a non-governmental organisation. It is a pioneer non-public actor in the HIV and AIDS response in Uganda. TASO is a membership organisation with over 4,000 subscriber members.[1]

Overview

TASO was started in 1987 by a group of medical workers who had witnessed how badly patients showing signs of Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) were being treated in the wards of the Mulago Hospital in Kampala. At first, it was a small, informal group of people meeting to talk about HIV and AIDS[2] and grow into an organisation. It became one of the major HIV and AIDS care organisations in Uganda.[3] [4] When TASO started, Uganda was recovering from a war that brought the current government to power.[5]

TASO was founded to provide comfort to patients who were being discriminated against and sometimes abandoned by relatives to die within the hospital compound.[6] [2] As the number of people coming for comfort to this small group grew, counseling became a necessary service to keep those seeking comfort.[6] By 2008, TASO had grown into one of the largest indigenous HIV and AIDS services organisation in Uganda.[7]

After Christopher Kaleeba, a radiographer, tested positive for HIV and suffered stigma and discrimination by his co-workers in Mulago Hospital, he suggested to his wife (Noerine Kaleeba) and her friends that a support group be formed to encourage those infected and affected by HIV and AIDS within the hospital.[2]

A small group, composed of health workers and some patients, were allocated a room in the Polio Clinic at Mulago Hospital where they began offering clinical out-patient services run by Elly Katabira as an AIDS Clinic.[8]

In 1989, TASO hosted Philly Lutaaya, a well-known musician, AIDS activist, and the first prominent person to put a human face to AIDS in Uganda. His song Alone was adopted as an anthem in TASO as well as many other AIDS groups in Uganda and many other countries.[9] [2] Following the example of Philly Lutaaya, clients who were gifted in music, dance and drama began performing in local communities to sensitize them on HIV and AIDS.[10] The use of music, dance and drama was replicated in all the TASO Centers and became a major tool for crowd mobilisation and community sensitisation.[11] At the end of 1993, TASO had expanded from one district to seven districts in Uganda.[12]

Partnerships

Together with another organisation called Traditional and modern Health practitioners Together Against AIDS (THETA), TASO pioneered collaboration with traditional healers in 1992 to give them basic counseling skills as well as knowledge about HIV infection.[8]

From October 1999 until 2007, TASO partnered with the National Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS to run the Child Survival Project. The project cost $1,000,000 and assisted 435 children to improve their literacy skills and to acquire the skills that are essential for survival.[13] From October 2000 until 2007, TASO implemented the Vocational Apprenticeships for Vulnerable Children. It cost $926,355, with 832 children benefited through apprenticeship training.[13]

From 2004 until 2006, TASO partnered with the National Agricultural Research Organisation of Uganda to implement the Partners for Food Security Project. Through this partnership, both organisations were able to address issues pertaining to food insecurity within households in rural Uganda, especially in the district of Tororo. TASO also has partnered with the uniformed forces.[14]

TASO's Strategic Plan for 2013-2017 called for more funding (both local and international) for HIV related services in Uganda. TASO collaborated with the World Food Program to provide food to its clients. TASO also recognised that clients need a source of livelihood and, therefore, partnered with the Poultry Project to provide chicken to families as well as other animals such as pigs as income generating activities.[15]

Services

Medical

TASO Centers

TASO has established twelve centers across the country.[10]

  1. Mulago (established November 1987)
  2. Masaka (established May 1988)
  3. TASO Training Center (established October 1988)
  4. Tororo (established November 1988)
  5. Mbarara (established January 1989)
  6. Mbale (established March 1990)
  7. Jinja (established March 1991)
  8. Entebbe (established November 1991)
  9. Gulu (established January 2004)
  10. Rukungiri (established August 2004)
  11. Soroti (established August 2004)
  12. Masindi (established August 2005)

Projects

Active

Ended

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The AIDS Support Organisation (TASO) . www.tasouganda.org . 7 May 2015 . Sylvia . Matovu.
  2. Book: We Miss You All . SAFAIDS . Noerine Kaleeba . 3rd . Sunanda Ray.
  3. Rujumba . Joseph . "Telling my husband I have HIV is too heavy to come out of my mouth". pregnant women's disclosure experiences and support needs following antenatal HIV testing in Eastern Uganda . Journal of the International AIDS Society . 15 . 2 . 17429 . 13 May 2014 . 22905360 . 3494159 . 2012 . Neema . S. . Byamugisha . R. . Tylleskär . T. . Tumwine . J. K. . Heggenhougen . H. K. . 10.7448/ias.15.2.17429.
  4. Book: The Second Philly Lutaaya Memorial Lecture . 29 October 2004 . Quality Chemicals Ltd. . 8.
  5. Book: Williams . Glen . From Fear to Hope. AIDS care and Prevention at Chikankata Hospital, Zambia . January 1992 . Strategies for Hope . 1872502148 . 3 . Revised.
  6. Book: Curriculum for HIV/AIDS Counselors . 1995 . TASO (U) Ltd. . TASO . 3rd.
  7. Web site: HIV/AIDS in Uganda . Uganda Picks . 4 March 2014 . Susan Kabarwani . 2008.
  8. Book: HIV Infection. Diagnostic and treatment strategies for Health Care workers . 2000 . STD/AIDS Control Programme. Ministry of Health . Kampala . Elly T. Katabira . Moses R. Kamya . Francis X. Mubiru . Nathan N. Bakyaita.
  9. Book: Open Secret. People facing up to HIV and AIDS in Uganda . ActionAid . Oxford . 1872502555 . 24–25 . Noerine Kaleeba . Joyce Namulondo Kadowe . Daniel Kalinaki . Glen Williams . Glen Williams. 2000 .
  10. Book: UNITED AGAINST AIDS: The Story of TASO . 2007 . 978-1-905746-06-4 . Glen Williams.
  11. Web site: TASO Centers. YouTube.
  12. Book: TASO Uganda. The Inside Story. Participatory evaluation of HIV/AIDS counseling, medical and social services 1993-1994 . 1995 . TASO, WHO . viii . Countless organisations and programmes have already been inspired by the effective model offered by TASO. Dr. M.H. Merson. Executive Director. WHO Global Programme on AIDS. 10665/61142 .
  13. Book: USAID Project Profiles: Children Affected by HIV/AIDS . September 2003 . US Agency for International Development.
  14. Web site: Nakabugo . Goretti . Gunning down new infections and scaling up HIV prevention. A case study of the Uganda Uniformed forces in collaboration with TASO Uganda. . 8 April 2013 . RATN . 25 February 2014.
  15. News: congratulations-taso-uganda-on-your-silver-jubilee . https://archive.today/20140310093238/http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/635552-congratulations-taso-uganda-on-your-silver-jubilee.html . 2014-03-10 .
  16. Book: Sexual and reproductive health needs of adolescents perinatally infected with HIV in Uganda . Harriet . Birungi . John Frank . Mugisha . Juliana . Nyombi . Francis . Obare . Humphres . Evelia . Hannington . Nyinkavu . July 2008 . United States Agency for International Development; Ford Foundation; The AIDS Support Organisation; Frontiers in Reproductive Health, Population Council . 6.
  17. The Transformer . 2006 . The Presidential Transformers Award 2006 . Kampala, Uganda . 37 . Special . Magazine.
  18. Rujumba J. . Pregnant women's experiences of routine counseling and testing for HIV in Eastern Uganda: a qualitative study . BMC Health Services Research . 24 May 2013 . 13 . etal.
  19. Web site: Birungi . Sandra . TASO faces closure as it closes its outreach clinics . Uganda Picks . 25 February 2014 . 14 January 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150114130026/http://www.ugandapicks.com/2012/05/taso-faces-closure-as-it-closes-its-outreach-centers-48876.html . dead .
  20. News: TASO to offer more services . The New Vision . 28 August 2013 . Carol Kasujja . 3.
  21. Web site: Stigma hinders couples with HIV and AIDS in rural Uganda from accessing services . Exchange . 26 February 2014 . Okoboi Stephen . 8–9 . 2012.
  22. Cohort Profile: The TASO-CAN Cohort Collaboration . International Journal of Epidemiology . 7 March 2011 . 7 May 2015 . 0300-5771 . 21382975 . 946–950 . 10.1093/ije/dyr033 . Celestin . Bakanda . Josephine . Birungi . Abdallah . Nkoyooyo . Amber . Featherstone . Curtis L. . Cooper . Robert S. . Hogg . Edward J. . Mills . 41. 4 . free .
  23. Web site: Okoboi . Stephen . TASO Experiential Attachment to Combat HIV/AIDS (TEACH) . HIV Capacity Forum . 25 February 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150114135354/http://www.hivcapacityforum.org/userfiles/Stephen%20Okoboi_Taso_session9.pdf . 14 January 2015 .

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