For Tezra Lutaya, daughter of renowned late Musician Philly Bongoley Lutaya, Friday 15th May 2015 was a day of no rest. It was a day when Philly Lutaaya Cares, an organization working on promoting collective responsibility for the struggle against HIV/AIDS together with a consortium of over thirty organizations operating in Uganda lit millions of candles as a way of standing with families that have lost their loved ones to HIV/AIDS as well as persons currently living with HIV/AIDS.
The Joint effort was also in commemoration of the International AIDS Candle-light Memorial, which is a community mobilization campaign to raise further social awareness about HIV and AIDS on a global scale.
“The International AIDS Candle-light memorial event is in line with this year’s World AIDS Day theme – Getting to zero and is intended to get everyone involved in reversing the numbers from 375 Ugandans getting infected every day to zero by interesting everyone to test and know their status as well as share personal testimonies on how HIV/AIDS has affected them at a personal, family, company, community and national levels,” said Tezra Lutaaya, Daughter to the late Philly Bongoley Lutaaya and Founder Member of Philly Lutaaya Cares,
Part of the day’s activities includes brief speech to Coca-Cola Management and staff at Namanve plan, and the collective lighting of the candles. Lutaya also visited the Parliament of Uganda, New Vision offices on 7th Street and Daily Monitor in Industry area.
A strong advocate of her late Father’s belief in openness and solution seeking, Ms. Lutaya,is on a mission to encourage people to speak about their in an effort to change the perception and thinking of what the society’s view of HIV/AIDS.
Her father Bongoley Lutaya stood out by boldly speaking out about his status in a manner that unveiled the stark reality of the danger of HIV Aids at time when the disease was still stigmatized in the late 1980’s.
She concluded by calling upon on all persons, organizations and leaders to support the renewed effort to fight against HIV/AIDS in Uganda.