Agnes Nyamayarwo

Agnes Nyamayarwo is a nurse in Uganda. She became an AIDS activist when the disease devastated her family.

Agnes left nursing in order to take care of her eight children after losing her husband in 1992. It was determined that the cause of his death was from an HIV infection which resulted in AIDS. After receiving this news Agnes had herself and her family tested for the virus. She was found to be HIV positive. Agnes also learned that she had passed the virus on to her youngest son, who died from the disease at the age of 6. She held herself responsible for his infection and subsequent death. Agnes' oldest son tested negative for HIV, but was badly teased at school by other children who believed he was positive. Eventually, he ran away from home and never returned.

Agnes now takes anti-retroviral medication and works as a volunteer for The AIDS Support Organization (TASO) in Uganda.

In 2002, she joined the DATA organization on the Heart of America tour.

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