WCC NEWS: HIV/AIDS in Africa: books key to the battle

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World Council of Churches - News

BOOKS KEY TO THE BATTLE AGAINST HIV AND AIDS IN AFRICA

For immediate release: 23 February 2011

Three decades into the AIDS pandemic it has become clear that churches,
non-governmental agencies and governments need to redouble their efforts
to combat the disease and its effects, said the central governing body of
the World Council of Churches (WCC) during its meeting in February 2011.

In one of its most effective programme initiatives, the WCC has created and
distributed an estimated 50,000 copies of books aimed at tackling the
steep pastoral and theological challenges of AIDS in Africa.

A quarter-century into that publishing and education initiative, the WCC
Central Committee this week cited “the changing face of the pandemic”
and encouraged its member churches to persevere in their efforts and to
embrace the vision of the United Nations programme UNAIDS: “Zero new
infections. Zero discrimination. Zero AIDS related deaths.”

The Central Committee made its comments through a brief statement, or a
“minute” highlighting the work of the Ecumenical HIV and AIDS
Initiative in Africa (EHAIA), which started in 2002 under the WCC's health
and healing programme in cooperation with the All Africa Conference of
Churches.

The book publishing initiative has been augmented by a training and
distribution network centred in five regional offices in Africa –
Nairobi, Lomé, Kinshasa, Harare and Luanda – that coordinate pastoral
training and connect the programmes to seminaries.


“Inspired and rigorous theological understanding”

Rigorously contextual, EHAIA aims at accompanying churches and theological
institutions to become "HIV-competent,” says project coordinator Rev. Dr
Nyambura Njoroge.

"The books series makes a critical contribution through its inspired and
rigorous theological understanding of HIV and AIDS,” she said. “It
also includes appropriate training of clergy and laity as well as
enhancing the churches’ capacity to engage in local action to overcome
the challenges that accompany HIV and AIDS.”

Among the chief resources in the series are volumes that deal with the
stigma of AIDS, theological perspectives on health and illness, sexuality
and gender, seminary curricula and the specific challenges posed by youth,
pastoral care and public policy.

Today young people over 14 years old account for 40 percent of new adult
infections worldwide, and more than 90 percent of all new infections among
children are in sub-Saharan Africa, according to United Nations
statistics.

Despite progress being made combatting HIV and AIDS, the WCC statement
cited new challenges posed by children born with HIV who are approaching
sexual maturity, couples in which one or both persons are living with HIV,
and also the needs of millions of widows, widowers and orphans.

Even though the world has made great progress in care, prevention and
treatment, “there are more than 33 million people living with HIV,”
said the statement; this number includes 10 million people still awaiting
treatment.

Since the first appearance of the pandemic 30 years ago, an estimated 60
million people have been infected with HIV, of whom more than 25 million
have died. In 2008 alone, an estimated 2.7 million people became infected
with HIV, and an estimated 2.0 million people died of AIDS-related
illnesses, according to UN data.

Today in sub-Saharan Africa, the epidemic has orphaned more than 14 million
children.


25 years encouraging medical and pastoral care

The WCC involvement with HIV and AIDS dates to 1986, when its then-general
secretary, the Rev. Dr Emilio Castro, was first approached by several
churches and the World Health Organization to counter the stigma of AIDS
that was discouraging funding for medical and pastoral care of those
affected by the disease.

Focussed on advocacy and education, WCC efforts and partnerships have grown
through publishing, networking and training. The first WCC manual on
pastoral care appeared in 1991.

Increasing engagement with churches and theological institutions led to the
EHAIA book series and accompanying efforts. Since 2001, primary
responsibility for the advocacy task has been assumed by the Ecumenical
Advocacy Alliance.

More information on EHAIA (Link:
http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=1e38f82bf9d6e51c561c )

More information on the Central Committee meeting (Link:
http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=4c20ef4434b2a031394e )

Photos of the meeting (Link:
http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=e53c85b5b2e95c57cf43 )


The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness 
and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of 
churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 349 Protestant, 
Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 560 million 
Christians in over 110 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman 
Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, 
from the [Lutheran] Church of Norway. Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.



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