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On World Aids Day 2008, Christian Aid is calling for faith leaders around the world to stand at the forefront of the fight against HIV.
As well-respected community leaders, clergy and other faith leaders are in a unique position to influence attitudes and behaviour - and so save lives. This gallery shows the difference faith groups can make.
Christian Aid / Guy Tillim
South Africa has the highest number of
people living with HIV - 5.7 million.
With support from the British government'
s Department for International
Development (DFID), Christian Aid helped
the Anglican Church of Southern Africa
launch an international HIV programme.
All 24 dioceses in Southern Africa now
have an HIV co-ordinator. "Churches and
their leaders must show the way in
overcoming ignorance, prejudice and
intolerance, and demonstrate in words
and actions, that God's love does not
discriminate among any of his children."
The Most Reverend Thabo Makgoba is
Archbishop of Cape Town.
REF:
Christian Aid / Felicia Webb
The Ethiopian Orthodox Church (EOC) is
one of the most ancient churches in the
world. Recognising its unique position
to work on HIV, the EOC has established "
Hope Centres" across the country. The
centres, which are open to everyone,
provide financial support and
counselling to families affected by HIV.
They also train clergy on HIV and
encourage preachers to speak openly
about the virus during services.
Belaynesh, pictured, is one of thousands
who have changed their views about HIV
as a result. "Before I thought if I
shook hands with someone who had the
virus I would catch HIV. I didn't even
want to speak to someone with HIV.
Because of the education I have received
from the Father in Church I have changed
my thinking".
REF:
Christian Aid / Felicia Webb
Abebech lost her daughter and son-in-law
to AIDS, and now looks after her
orphaned grandchildren Meherat (7) and
Matewos (11). The local council wanted
to put the children up for adoption when
their mother died. But with support from
the Ethiopian Orthodox Church's Hope
Centre, which helps out with rent and
school fees, Abedech has been able to
keep her family together.
REF:
Christian Aid / Sian Curry
Maxwell Kapachawo was the first pastor
in Zimbabwe to openly acknowledge that
he was living with HIV. He is now
playing a key role in helping his own
congregation, and other faith leaders,
to understand and confront the HIV
epidemic. "My disclosure has really
helped my congregation ... It has
transformed my ministry. By the last
Sunday of the month when I told people,
three quarters of the congregation had
gone to be tested. They saw me as a role
model." Maxwell is the founder member of
Christian Aid partner, the Zimbabwean
Network of Religious Leaders Living with
or Affected by HIV.
REF:
Christian Aid / Sian Curry
Wendy (21) is a student nurse and a
volunteer with the Honduran Episcopal
Church's "Club Canterbury" project,
which runs health exhibitions, talks,
condom demonstrations and radio
programmes for students at San Pedro
Sula University. "There are two factors
which make it hard to get people to use
condoms. One is that some people think
it's a sin to use a condom and there's
also machismo. Women think that they can'
t learn how to put one on, or even ask
their partner to use one." By targeting
students, the church hopes to equip
tomorrow's leaders with a good
understanding of HIV - so that they can
protect themselves and take a lead in
the fight against stigma and machismo.
REF:
Christian Aid / Elaine Duigenan
Prak Chandi is 13 and her parents are
both dead; she lost her mother to AIDS
in 2005 and is now cared for by her
maternal grandmother. Today Chandi and
her brothers are supported by the Little
Folks programme, which cares for
children - many of the Buddhist faith -
whose parents are living with HIV, or
have died from AIDS. Thanks to the
Little Folks programme Chandi and her
brothers have a roof over their heads,
receive food support and grief
counselling and are able to go to school.
REF:
Christian Aid / Amanda Farrant
For many Haitians, their traditional
vodou priest, or houngan, is the first
person they turn to when illness strikes,
often fearing that they have been "hit"
by evil spirits. Christian Aid partner
POZ has trained traditional leaders here
in HIV awareness, and the trainees have
since referred hundreds of patients on
to POZ's mainstream health clinic for
diagnosis, care, treatment and support. "
A lot of people have HIV and don't want
to tell anyone. They go to the houngan
because they think they've been hit by a
zombie or a dead or bad spirit. We
encourage the houngan to send them to us
at POZ."
Lunic, Poz employee. In August 2008 POZ
was awarded the UN's prestigious red
ribbon award, in recognition of their
groundbreaking HIV work with both
Christian and voudou leaders.
REF:
Christian Aid / Sarah Filbey
Velentino is struggling to provide for
eight orphaned grandchildren, one of
whom, Vestina, is herself HIV positive.
Volunteer care-givers from the Catholic
Archdiocese of Lusaka, Zambia, visit the
family regularly, providing practical,
medical, nutritional and emotional
support to help Vestina stay healthy and
happy. "Without the help of the home-
based carers I would have lost her. With
this disease I did not believe she would
survive."
REF:
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
