The Uganda AIDS Commission has asked students to live a purposeful life, adding that over one million people are living with HIV/AIDS in Uganda.

This was revealed to students’ leaders of Uganda National Students Association (UNSA) who were attending a Kampala Capital City Mid-term Students Leaders Conference that was organized by UNSA, at Nabisunsa Girls School on Saturday, July 1, 2023.

Tom Eti, the Coordinator public sector at Uganda AIDS Commission cautioned students against living a reckless life and encouraged those with HIV to seek medical attention and not to be stigmatized.

“If you want to achieve your dreams or aspire to be the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, you need to remain safe and mind about your life because before joining any force, you are tested first,” Eti said.

He called upon students’ leaders to support one another towards living a purposeful life by promoting unity, diversity and development of the country.

Eti urged students to be focused on their visions of who they want to be in future.

He said that as students’ leaders, they should be exemplary to other students in order to be great leaders in future and work towards the development of the country. He promised to support them and schools under UNSA in achieving their goals.

He revealed statistics of how people got infected with HIV last year in Uganda, saying that, 52,000 people got infected in 2022 with 30,000 being women while 16,000 were men.

However, Rtd Maj. Okwir Rabwoni a Coordinator in charge of Youth Affairs at NRM Secretariat advocated for patriotism and being empathetic.

He said that good leaders should construct and shape a leadership role to bridge the gaps by being united and turn diversity into strength.

The theme of the conference is “Responsible Leadership in Diversity, Unity and Inclusion.”