In October, the President, Mrs McAleese, made an 11-day visit to Uganda and Kenya mainly to pay tribute to the work of Irish missionaries but also to see development projects being funded or run by the Government and Irish NGOs. Mrs McAleese spent six days in Uganda where she visited hospitals, schools, development projects and AIDS clinics run by the missions.
Uganda is one of Ireland's six priority countries for bilateral aid receiving £19 million this year and a projected £28 million next year. In the town of Mbarara in Uganda, the President visited Kitovu hospital where the spectre of AIDS dominated her visit. Over half of the hospital's patients tested for HIV last year were positive.
In Kenya, which received £650,000 in aid from the Government this year, Mrs McAleese visited the hot and marginalised area of Lodwar in the north of the country. She saw how Irish missionaires play a critical role in the provision of social services there. In Nairobi, the President also visited development projects in slum areas of the city. Speaking about her trip, Mrs McAleese said coming to Africa had been a "humbling experience"