I am an American woman who has spent time with Ezra and Marjorie three different times. I stayed at their tourist home and had the life-changing experience of being included in the community of Kitojo and getting to know the people and appreciating the challenges they face. We plan to visit again next year. Ezra and Marjorie are like family; we are deeply connected as life-long friends. They give everything to the people who live there and will not stop working to fight HIV and the poverty that goes along with AIDS until there are no more people HIV infected. Ezra inspires me so much. I can't imagine anyone more deserving of an award than he.

KIDA
under the guidance of the FAITHFUL DIRECTOR REV EZRA MUSOBOZI.The staff under this good guidance it has really done its work for the community.i as a drama member i have gained a lot from KIDA and also the community.most organizations have failed because of failure to manage finances but KIDA has really done it to its best.SO I STAND FIRM TO SAY LONG LIVE KIDA LONG LIVE EZRA.FOR THE GOOD WORK.

KIDA is such an interesting place that is not self centered but community centered.I am a member of the Drama group i for one have gained a lot from KIDA, and many lives have been transformed by community education through music dance and drama.
LONG LIVE KIDA AND REV.EZRA

Am extremely happy for the work rendered by the Revrand to the community.
I,one of the staff appreciate the services that KIDA is a good place and active.

I honestly think that what the Revrand is doing is great. Am so honored to be one of the staff members at KIDA, it's really amazing how lives are being touched and transformed.Seeing the Revrand, his wife and others sacrifice everything they have just to see people living better lives,speaks of people that are really sold out to help the community. These guys have practically laid down their lives for others its an honor to work with them!!!

I was part of a team that went to Uganda in February 2007. There I met Ezra and his wife, Marjorie. It was a wonderful experience. We stayed in comfortable bungalows with western sytle toilets and showers. It did not have electricity but we were given candelabras. The climate was very comfortable as we were at about 7000 ft elevation. The food was very good and the hospitality was wonderful. The focus of our visit was to be of assistance. Ezra put us to work building an addition onto the clinic, helping in the clinic, watching and participating in the drama group, going on home visits and being a part of Positive Living Seminars and Orphan Day. We witnessed and participated in all aspects of the program. Ezra is a patient, humble man with a big vision and he perseveres. His clients are sick and vulnerable, but also courageous and very thankful for the new life they've been given with the help of KIDA.

I am an RN and a nurse practitioner in the United States. I visited Ezra in February 2007. The Kitojo Integrated Development Association (KIDA) is the most comprehensive program for HIV/AIDS patients I've ever seen. Not only are the health and medical needs of these patients seen to at the clinic, the social and emotional needs are met as well by one organization. In the U.S. services tend to be scattered among several organizations which don't always communicate with eacy other. In Kitojo, there is one place where all necessary services are provided - KIDA. Families often walk for miles to be cared or at KIDA, or to attend a daylong program or to participate in one of the technical/educational programs.
As a guest, I was treated to three wonderful meals daily. Our bungelow was very clean and very comfortable with running water and hot showers. The view of the Ruwenzori mountains from our front patio was breathtaking. Each day we walked down a dirt road to the clinic, communicating with families along the way.
Ezra took us to Queen Elizabeth Park one day and a smaller local park another evening. Sometimes we rode into the "big city" Fort Portal. Other times we rode or walked to the market in closeby Ruwihamba. Felt totally immersed in Ugandan culture.

Just over a year ago, I was fortunate enough to have the chance to meet Ezra in his hometown of Kitojo, Uganda. During my stay, I witnessed the positive effects that were made possible through Ezra's support of community development. After just a few years, the people of Kitojo now have access to a safe clinic, support counseling, vocational and health classes, medication, on-site testing, and many other valuable resources. Ezra's unlimited compassion, progressive vision, and undaunted spirit have truly inspired and given hope to community members.
His efforts have now influenced advocates living in the U.S., who are moved by his commitment to advantageous change.

All who visit Kitojo will be amazed by both the local landscape and people. The lush forests, numerous crater lakes, and exotic animals are very unique. The Kitojo culture is rich and filled with tradition. The people are extremely generous and welcoming. Anyone will be awed by all Ezra has accomplished with KIDA, as well as his continued community efforts.

This seems like an amazing project and Ezra seems like an extraordinary individual.

Project Description:
KIDA is an HIV Aids Prevention and Treatment Program located in rural Western Uganda. Beginning with a drama education touring group traveling through the region, in fewer than 5 years, it has added testing, counseling and treatment serving more than 400 clients with more than 100 on Anti-retrovirals. Children of clients receive school fees, clients are taught construction, carpentry, organic gardening, tailoring and most recently catering. Also newly initiated is a micro loan program. A monthly Aids testing day attracts more than 100 people who walk miles to the small clinic, most months, 25 - 30 test positive for the HIV Aids Virus. The Director runs a tourist home with cottages. Tourists can work in the clinic or enjoy the monkeys swinging through the trees and views of the Ruwenzori Mountains, and Crater Lakes. Queen Elizabeth National Park, and Kibale Forest are close by.

annsquires's Story:
I visited KIDA a year ago as a member of a team supporting their work. Arriving with expertise to show them how to do things, we all learned that there are some things - most things - better left to the locals. Staying in the Director’s home we couldn't help but be inspired by seeing his twenty-four hour availability to serve as ambulance driver, accepting friend and counselor to the very sick. We loved the beautiful scenery and the delicious mango, sweet bananas, enormous avocados, curries, chapati and salsa. We were amazed by our chef's ability to provide dinner cooking on two or three charcoal fueled burners on the ground. Time out for drives to the animal parks were a welcome respite to us and the clinic staff who joined us for the special outing. On Aids testing day we weighed and measured the clients, other days we counted pills, laid bricks for the clinic extension, went on home visits, and school visits, delivered blood to the hospital for further testing. We were honored guests of the community.

Ezra and Marjorie are simply amazing. They are blessed with vision, energy, and the ability to inspire others. They started KIDA with faith and mud--literally--inspiring others to help create 40,000 mud bricks that could be used to build a tiny clinic. They didn't know where they would find money for a roof or windows, but they knew that they had to start somewhere. In a few short years, KIDA has grown into a remarkable organization that is breaking the vicious cycle between poverty and disease by emphasizing personality responsibilty and education.
The Kitojo Tourist Home is part of KIDA's overall vision. It offers a warm welcome and a chance for visitors to see more than Africa's natural wonders. It is a rare opportunity to see real rural life in sub-saharan Africa. Visitors who volunteer to help out at KIDA get the added bonus of knowing that their efforts have made a big difference.

This entry is a very powerful example of geotourism at it's best. I took a group here last year (my third trip) and we were not only treated like kings and queens but we had daily opportunities to participate in the compassionate work that Ezra and Marjorie's NGO (KIDA) do among the poor and AIDS affected families that live here. They appreciated us so much and made us feel like friends and partners even though some of us had no skills or experience. Everyone on the tour were given tasks and loved being involved. Ezra and Marjorie work tirelessly with great humility and compassion, collaborating with and mobilizing volunteers to help them get things done. We learned so much about how a model African-run program works. We were fed well and were very comfortable in the accommodations of the tourist home. I have been so inspired by KIDA's work that, after my second trip here in 2003, I have made my life's work in retirement dedicated to raising funds to support KIDA's very effective programs.

I was at KIDA last year and the work that the Reverend does is marvellous. There are self-help programs such as capentry, sewing classes, sustainable development projects. The drama group which traveled around the surrounding locales raises HIV/AIDS awareness in an accessible and entertaining medium thus not only teaching the communities about HIV but engages them in a fashion such that HIV myths are dispelled. The sense of a strong support network is strong and cannot be dismissed.

The Reverend's quiet humility is also a great credit to him. Not only is he empowering the local people, he gives them a voice where once they had a stigma.

Am excited to be part of this contest, it wonderful to share my experience!