Youth Alive Uganda was founded in 1993, under the dynamic leadership of Rev. Sr DR. Miriam Duggan, an Irish Franciscan missionary nun who was one of the leading actors in designing and running HIV/AIDS responses at the time. Youth Alive came about as a response to the ever- increasing numbers of young people that were being infected with the virus, many of whom showed up in Nsambya hospital where Sr. Miriam worked and in Kamwokya where she lived at the time. The scenario at hand spelt doom because the most productive and energetic category of the population faced an enormous threat of being wiped out, before they could even live out their dreams.Her interaction with the non- infected young people also confirmed that there was a growing sense of hopelessness and helplessness that could only be countered by the formation of positive like minded groups of young people, ready to live differently and to multiply hope. Thus, the name “Youth Alive” was born with the energising tagline- “It’s time to Act”.
