wfn.org | Zimbabwe United Methodists confront AIDS crisis

[NewsDesk <NewsDesk@UMCOM.UMC.ORG>]

Feb. 9, 2000 News media contact: Linda Bloom·(212) 870-3803·New York
10-21-31-71B{054}

New York (UMNS) - United Methodists in Zimbabwe are developing a plan of
action to deal with a problem that is devastating their country - the
HIV/AIDS epidemic.

"More than any other disease, HIV/AIDS has proved its ability to disrupt the
social fabric of the community," said Betty Gittens, an executive with the
United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, during a Feb. 8 briefing.

Gittens helped organize a Jan. 17-21 consultation in Kadoma, Zimbabwe, that
focused on education, awareness and prevention training on HIV/AIDS. The
event, attended by 136 people, was co-sponsored by the board and the
Zimbabwe United Methodist Annual Conference. 

The church's action plan includes:

·	Encouraging responsible behavior;
·	Promoting AIDS education and awareness within congregations;
·	Reducing the stigma attached to those infected with HIV;
·	Providing counseling to people infected with HIV and to family
members;
·	Addressing the needs of children orphaned by AIDS;
·	Developing home-based care programs.

According to the United Nations, AIDS has become the leading killer in
Africa, responsible for 20 percent of all deaths. On a continent besieged by
war, AIDS even kills more people than armed conflicts do. A U.N. world
population survey in 1998 found that one of every five adults in Zimbabwe
was infected with HIV, with the high mortality rate significantly affecting
both its population and growth. In addition, 25 percent of youth between 15
and 19 years old are HIV positive.

"Cultural, social and economic factors make women more likely to contract
AIDS than men," Gittens said, adding that women also bear the burden of care
for sick family members. A report released by the United Nations last
November showed that of the 22.3 million adults infected with HIV in
sub-Saharan Africa, 55 percent were women.

The impact of the disease on families has been immense. A U.N. report
released last Dec. 1, World AIDS Day, revealed more than 11 million children
have been orphaned by AIDS since 1981 and that all but 5 percent of those
children live in sub-Saharan Africa.

Despite these statistics, Zimbabwe's government was in "major denial" about
its AIDS crisis and is just now making the political commitment to address
the problem, according to Gittens. And while individual churches have tried
to deal with the epidemic, "what needs to be done is to come up with an
overall AIDS policy" for the denomination, she said.

Basic education about the disease is a first step. United Methodist Bishop
Christopher Jokomo, based in Harare, has declared that such education must
take place in all local churches. He commissioned all the consultation
participants - including clergy, laity and youth - to return home and begin
implementing the action plan.

The Board of Global Ministries plans to sponsor three more HIV/AIDS
consultations in Africa during 2000, but exact locations and dates have yet
to be determined, Gittens said. 

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United Methodist News Service
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