Feb 20th, 2008 11:35 AM UTC
By Natalie.Sugira
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 Last night I called my sister in Rwanda. She, her husband and five of their eight children live in a small village about 10 miles outside of Kigali. Normally, our conversations are about 35 minutes and we mostly talk about the children. As a mother she worries about their future, and hopes her two teenage boys can pass the national exam to go to secondary school. Last night something else was on her mind.
A few minutes into the conversation she asked me if President Bush is aware of the poverty and AIDS crisis and in the Rwanda’s small villages. One of her friends suffers from AIDS and travels to the capital to get her medication. My sister said she is only alive because of the medicine from the Americans. I asked her what she thinks about President Bush and Mrs. Bush’s visit to Rwanda. She paused for sometime and said “Our leaders should bring him so we can meet him and tell him about our struggles, they stay in Kigali but life there is very different from ours here in the village’’. I asked her if people in the village know about the presidential campaign in the U.S. She said that those who go to the capital more often say that there are many more Americans than before the genocide. She continued that even the radio talks about America, so everyone has heard at least a little. I asked what she would say to President Bush if she saw him. She said that she would thank him for the AIDS medication that has saved her friend, and ask him to provide more help for education so her two sons can go to a vocational school. I have shared ONE’s commitment to Africa and my work with the campaign with her. She said that since President Bush is about to leave office, that they cannot ask him much. “You who are able to talk to them, speak on our behalf and let them know that we still need their help”, She insisted. She is sure that the president’s visit is a proof that Americans care about Rwandans.
My sister, who is now 50-years old, is the oldest member of my family to survive the genocide. She has always been (more…)
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Feb 15th, 2008 11:52 AM UTC
By Natalie.Sugira
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President Bush has less than a year left for in his presidency. He might be thinking: so much to do in so little time! Nevertheless, the president is spending some of this precious time, seven days to be specific, visiting African nations including my homeland, Rwanda. I am sure there are many reasons why the president is visiting the motherland; but likely one of the reasons is to shine the spotlight even brighter on the president’s commitment to fight AIDS. His Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has laid the foundation for our next president, but there is still much work to do. In his last State of the Union, President Bush called on Congress to continue fighting AIDS by funding PEPFAR. I hope all the presidential candidates, Democrats and Republicans alike, will continue to fulfill these commitments.
Before casting my first American vote during the Iowa caucuses, I had an opportunity to share with most of the presidential candidates, including the ones who are still in the race, about the reality of growing up in poverty and what it is like to lose a friend to AIDS. In fact, all the candidates who are still in the race told me in person that the fight against poverty and HIV/AIDS would be part of their agenda. They have spoken about this on the campaign trail across the country, speaking to all Americans, one by one, young and old, about a bright future. In November, I will be casting my first vote in a national election. If nothing else, I want to know how our next president will continue the American legacy of coming to the aide of the most vulnerable. How will he or she honor his or her word to fight against poverty and AIDS?
-Natalie Sugira
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