Singer Moses Ssali aka Bebe Cool promised to kick out the killer disease Tuberculosis (TB) with the $400,000 donation he received from the TB Reach initiative.
While addressing the media yesterday at Torino Bar, the ‘Wire Wire’ singer disclosed his 12months strategy of fighting TB under his Amber Heart foundation in partnership with the Ugandan Government.
“The Grant will see Amber Heart Foundation carry out a number of activities aimed at finding missing Tuberculosis Patients within the districts of Kampala, Jinja and
Mbarara. The activities shall kick off In December this year and shall run for 14 months, ” Bebe Cool stated.
The TB Reach Wave 7 Grant is funded by the Government of Canada and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
“In Uganda, over 80,000 people die of Tuberculosis annually yet this disease is treatable and medication is free in all government health facilities. The challenge we
have as a country is that majority don’t know symptoms of TB,” he narrated.
The father of 5 pledged, “I will be using this grant to sensitize fellow Ugandans about the dangers
of Tuberculosis, it’s symptoms, testing and medication required.
A one Dr. Isiko who started this whole journey when he reached out to the singer months ago to be the TB ambassador was also in attendance and overjoyed by the progress.
“TB is one of the oldest diseases in Uganda, older than Aids but Ugandans have never taken it serious yet it is more dangerous. Aids patients die faster because of TB, it must be stopped,” Dr. Isiko explained.
He went on to reveal that TB is most common among men because they are the ones who over drink alcohol, smoke alot, reluctant to visit the doctors and suffer occupational hazards.
Amber Heart Foundation will be partnering with Government of Uganda, Stop TB Partnership in
Geneva –Switzerland, Ministry of Health, National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Divison, Stop TB Uganda, Media, Artists, informal sector, corporate sector and many other
stakeholders to ensure that Tuberculosis is wiped out from our communities.
