Los Angeles Times - July 11, 2003
Edwin Chen, Times Staff Writer

ENTEBBE, Uganda - Five months after launching his $15-billion anti-AIDS initiative, President Bush came face to face today with what he called "the deadliest enemy Africa has ever seen."

"You know, it's one thing to hear about the ravages of AIDS, or to read about them; another thing to see them first hand," Bush said after touring Africa's first and largest indigenous AIDS clinic and service organization, and meeting with one of its founders and her staff.

The president also met privately with two dozen AIDS patients and found it a moving experience, an aide said.

"It was very emotional," said White House communications director Dan Bartlett. "He was misty-eyed."

In his public remarks, Bush praised Uganda's pioneering efforts to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS. He promised that America would help, saying, "I believe God has called us into action."

Bush delivered his 15-minute speech in a small courtyard at the clinic. Later, he and First Lady Laura Bush were serenaded by a choir of orphans whose parents died of AIDS.

When the children broke into a haunting rendition of "America the Beautiful," the president bit his lip and seemed to fight back tears. Eventually, he and his wife each appeared to brush away a tear.

The AIDS Support Organization, founded here in 1987 by volunteers to support people with HIV/AIDS, now has seven centers across the Oregon-sized nation. The facilities provide counseling and basic medical services to 30,000 people annually, including orphans. It is the largest nongovernmental AIDS program in Africa.

The support group also pioneered this country's much copied "ABC" motto in combating the spread of AIDS. The letters stand for Abstinence, Be faithful and use Condoms.

Officials attribute a significant drop in the rate of HIV/AIDS infections to the slogan.

Only a decade ago, Uganda was viewed as the epicenter of the global AIDS pandemic. Today, this nation is recognized as the first country in Africa to document a decline in HIV prevalence - by more than 50% since 1992, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which has worked here on the disease since 1991.

"The results have been magnificent. Men and women are gaining years of life. More Ugandan children are growing up with mothers and fathers," Bush said.

"And this country is reclaiming its future. Life by life, village by village, Uganda is showing that AIDS can be defeated across Africa," he added. "This is such a land of hope in the heart of Africa."

The president ends his five-day, five-nation visit of Africa on Saturday, with several events in Abuja, Nigeria before returning to Washington late Saturday.

The overarching theme of Bush's first trip to Africa as president has been to spotlight pockets of hope and progress on an otherwise deeply troubled continent. Earlier this week, he visited Senegal, South Africa and Botswana. At most of his stops, Bush spoke about trade and economic growth.

But here in Uganda, an East Africa nation of 23 million, he focused entirely on AIDS.

As he did at most other stops during his visit, Bush touted his global AIDS initiative, a five-year, $15-billion plan to help 14 hard-hit nations in Africa and the Caribbean.

"You are not alone in this fight. America has decided to act.... We want to be on your side in a big way," Bush told his audience of about 100 Ugandan AIDS activists here.

Whether Congress will fully appropriate those funds remains an open question. On Thursday, the House Appropriations Committee approved $2 billion for next year, or $1 billion less than what Bush sought.

The global AIDS initiative would provide further U.S. assistance to such organizations as the one Bush visited here.

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