Today the forum began with marches from various points (including the Kibera slum) that converged on Uhuru park in the center of Nairobi where the opening ceremonies were held. Speeches and music celebrated what will be the forum’s main themes. For example, former Zambia president Kenneth Kounda spoke about the struggle against AIDS in Africa. He has taken a leading role in the struggle, including acknowledging the death of his sun from AIDS and personally getting tested publicly. Part of this is fighting the stigma of AIDS. But more needs to be done, and Kounda urged the forum to be a platform to be a network in the struggle against AIDS.


I have spent much of today working to get out a brochure of NIGD events. The forum program gets printed, but I don’t get a copy because I don’t queue up for them quickly enough. This is a common problem. So, we end up piecing programs together on our own.

Feeling just absolutely sleep deprived and ready to crash.