(Mary Adair) AIDS Healthcare Foundation's Mary Adair, left, and Fausta, right, one of her patients in Africa.
Mary Adair: Fighting AIDS in Africa
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DECEMBER 29, 2005
By Brooke Kelley

But twenty years ago, there were added hurdles to jump. “The general feeling in the world was prevention and not treatment,” said Mary. She added that many people she encountered did not think that African AIDS victims would respond well to or even stay on their medication, even if we did give it to them.
Despite all set backs, Mary persisted, and in February 2002, she was able to make her dream a reality. She traveled to Africa for the first time. And while she wasn’t expecting to walk into the Beverly Hilton, she also wasn’t prepared for what she was about to see.
According to Mary, the people living in the villages of Uganda, Africa, survive with a plethora of restrictions. There are no fast food restaurants there. No junk food at all. No Diet Coke. No ice. The streets are chaotic and confusing. There are random cars and bikes riding every which way. No traffic lights. You’re more likely to see caskets lining the streets than business signs. While they do have electricity, it’s not dependable. People there learn to live with the sporadic and unreliable lights. There is no sewage system.
Despite the fact that they exist in a world where the word “no” is always on the tips of their lips, they are warm, friendly and appreciative. They have great attitudes and work very hard to maintain their meager standard of living. But, according to Mary, they do have one thing that America doesn’t. No prejudice.
So when Mary Adair stepped onto African soil and became a pearl in a sea of black faces, she noticed something very foreign to Americans. All of those dark faces were smiling and welcoming her with open arms -- despite the fact that she was much different -- despite the fact that they rarely see a white man’s face.
They were not only kind and welcoming; they gave her a special African name, Nomatovu, meaning a respected deer-like animal.
Nomatovu wasted no time getting straight to work. She had little more than a month to open AIDS clinics which would not only educate the people on prevention of the disease but would treat those who were sick.
Her first goal in starting the clinics was to help 20 people. Today, Mary and a team of volunteers have helped 4,000, and these numbers are growing each day. One of the very first patients appeared at the clinic with little hope. She was frail and emaciated. Her energy level was low, and she feared that she wouldn’t live to see her children grow. Mary helped to treat her.
Since 2002, Mary has made several trips to Africa to build up the program. She has worked with Mama Angelina, an AIDS ambassador and wife of the minister of foreign affairs. Mama Angelina opened a clinic in the United Market Vendors Association, an African work place where 50,000 people are restricted to staying in the area during long work hours. Mama Angelina noticed that the people could not leave to go to the clinic. So she brought the clinic to them.
Today, when Mary travels the roads of Uganda, she can actually see the difference she has helped to make. There are fewer caskets on the sides of the streets. It’s probably due to the fact that 98 percent of Africans stay on their meds. And on a recent trip, while Mary was in the clinic, a beautiful young woman ran up to her to tell her thanks. She was vibrant and full of life and positive energy. She had changed so much that Mary did not even recognize her at first. It was the very first woman she had helped there.
And while there is still much work to be done in Africa, Mary Adair is a true hero, and Uganda is a better place all because Mary dreamed the impossible and then made it happen.
Want to make it your new year’s resolution to make difference? To learn more about how you can help fight AIDS, go to www.AIDShelath.org.