Patricia and Peace: A Story of Redemption
Patricia and her mother Peace both work to help the most vulnerable people in their community.
by Rachel Jamison
Bwindi Community Hospital Midwife
When I think of the people who define Bwindi Community Hospital, I immediately think of Aunt Peace. If you have been to Bwindi, she is someone who you would most certainly remember. As a woman in a position of leadership, she has pointed people to Jesus and has done it in a consistent yet humble way. She may not be a doctor, but I am certain she has saved many lives here in Bwindi.
Auti Peace’s given name is Atwongyeire Peace. Atwongyeire roughly translates to “He has added on.” Peace shares, “My parents were producing boys, and in between, they produced a girl whom I follow. So they said God has added us another girl.”
Peace is originally from Kihihi town in Kaningu District. After marriage, she and her husband lived in Kampala where she served as a police officer. When her husband became unwell. they learned that he was HIV positive. Shortly thereafter, Peace also discovered her positive status but kept it a secret. When her husband passed away in 1996, Peace found herself alone in a big city far from home with a baby girl and nowhere to sleep.
Looking for a fresh start, Peace moved back to Kangungu District and returned to school. Then in 2007, Peace was invited to work at Bwindi Community Hospital. She was a friend of Dr. Scott Kellermann, and like many of us, she witnessed a level of care and concern for people had not previously experienced. People were loved and accepted as children of God regardless of the money in their pocket of any disease with which they might suffer. Peace recalls, “I had never disclosed my HIV-positive status. In the early days , people had a lot of fear. If they new that you had HIV, it was too, too hard becasue you would be isolated and would not fit into the community. People thought even your touch would infect them. When I came to Bwindi,I saw people giving love and care to patients and most especially to HIV positive patients. I had not seen that anywhere else. The love support and care I received gave me courage to disclose my HIV status and join in the care and treatment of HIV patients.”
Peace sees herself as an agent of God’s love — love which is perfectly equipped to intervene when people with HIV are in their most desperate moment. Because she is not ashamed of her HIV-positive status and because she has been able to thrive, she reaches the hearts of many. “People who come worried about their HIV status do not have hope that they are going to live. I tell them, “Look, I have been living with HIV for all of these years. Now I am 54 years and I have had HIV since I was 28. You can still live a long and productive life. I even have a child who was born to HIV-positive parents, and she is negative.’”
BCH has reduced mother-to-child transmission form 45% in 2000 to zero. Patricia, pictured on the front cover with her mother Peace, was born HIV-negative thanks to treatment.
Patricia, who once served as the hospital’s communications officer, recently joined the staff of the Batwa Development Program which helps the Batwa become self-sustainable through education, homebuilding, agriculture, and healthcare. She oversees the Batwa Experience and teaches tourists about the berauty of the Batwa culture and how to help. Like her mother, Patricia has a warm, welcoming presence and want to use her life to make a difference in her community.
Peace’s passion for this ministry is in part the heartbeat of BCH. For both Peace and Patricia, each day’s work reveals a capacity to heal and transform lives of people who otherwise would die or give up hope. Thank you, Peace and Patricia!
“I thank the people who are supporting the hospital. Many people have been redeemed through its work. For these people, it is like they are in a new world. They thouhght they would have died a long tome ago. Now they are enjoying their lives. People have developed their homes, People are very strong and have a positive living. I thank God. “
-Peace Atwongyeire
