In the structured environment of the military, we are better equipped to identify when a colleague is struggling. Peers play a key role in providing … - Evarlyne Buregyeya Asiimwe

Setting higher targets motivates us to work harder to achieve them. I remember when the government first focused heavily on eMTCT, we were still far behind. But we always strive to do our best.

HIV has profoundly impacted many aspects of our military culture. In the past, soldiers often had a different mindset, including behaviors like sharing women, as reflected in the Kiswahili saying, "we eat from the same saucepan." There was little jealousy among soldiers, and solidarity was the norm. However, the HIV epidemic has forced a cultural shift. With a better understanding of how the virus spreads, soldiers have realized that maintaining these behaviors could be deadly—not just for them, but for their families and communities. Continuing to live by the old practices of sharing everything could have fatal consequences. HIV has pushed soldiers to rethink their approach to relationships and health, emphasizing personal responsibility and caution.

Yes, it is. One of our key achievements is the introduction of the mobile approach for Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision (VMMC). I believe the UPDF was the first to implement this model, and now it has been adopted widely. It’s not just about pioneering these initiatives, but also about responding to the unique needs of the situation. We realized that establishing a traditional health facility to serve our troops would be impractical—when would we ever complete a whole battalion? And with soldiers often deployed to remote locations, getting them to a fixed facility would be challenging. This is why our funding model is so distinctive. Current funding focuses on high-incidence areas, but often, these areas don’t have our troops. Instead, our soldiers may be stationed in regions where the HIV prevalence is lower, but they still require services. In some of the most remote locations, the prevalence might not be high, but access to healthcare is extremely difficult. It's not just about providing services to soldiers, but also to the surrounding communities who live in these hard-to-reach areas. We must ensure that people in these regions have access to care. It’s been valuable that PEPFAR has recognized the unique challenges of military health needs and routed funding through URC-DHAPP, an organization that understands military logistics and can effectively negotiate at that level. When mapping HIV distribution across Uganda, the scientific approach is logical, but it doesn’t account for the large group of people—soldiers and civilians alike—who still need care, whether it’s treatment or prevention services. Without a tailored approach, these individuals might be overlooked.