Children's HIV ministry

The United Mission to Nepal supports its partner Nawa Jeevan Samaj Sewa (NJSS), a Christian Society in Sunsari that cares for 19 children affected by HIV. The impact of HIV on children and their families is not a simple issue with a simple solution or quick fix. When the HIV status of the child is known to be positive, preventive therapy against common opportunistic infections is always recommended as the standard care. The implementation of Antiretroviral drugs regimens to improve and extend the lives of children infected with HIV is considered whenever accessible and feasible. Yet, this is still a neglected area due to accessibility and the complexity of adequately implementing this service.

Nevertheless, concerted efforts to make Antiretroviral therapy available for children is being explored and strengthened in Nepal. The capacity of programmess for children living with HIV to provide adequate medical attention needs is being stressed. Even where Antiretroviral therapy may not be possible, better access to treatment of opportunistic infections help prolong lives, both for children and parents with HIV.

The family carers and guardians play a significant role when fully informed about preventing and caring for medical conditions though in some districts it is still underestimated. The Nepal Government, some International NGOs and National NGOs have child protection policies that are being brought into programmess and institutions. Some Children are affected by the changes in their parent’s emotional and physical state. They may not know what is happening to the parent and they become confused and frightened. Without proper support mechanisms, when a parent dies, children experience a profound sense of loss, grief, hopelessness, fear and anxiety. The role of the church is being built up to support affected all children and adults.

Dashain Holidays

Dashain is the longest and the most important Hindu festival in Nepal and is celebrated late September to mid October, immediately after the monsoon season. Dashain gets many different nicknames such as Dasara, Bada Dashain, Vijaya Dashain, and Durga Puja. Dashain is the festival celebrating the god Durga's victory over demons.

Nepali Hindus celebrate Dashain holidays and many families from urban areas visit rural families and vice versa. There is a lot of shopping goes on! Nepalese families try to shop at least for the children if not for all. The Nepali Government gives bonuses to government workers as at Dashain (usually equal to one's monthly salary). Some private companies such as banks do the same. Farmers earn their bonus by selling their highly demanded agriculture and live-stock products in return for good cash. Our house help and workers also expect bonuses.

Dashain's most popular foodstuff is meat, and in order of popularity are goat, sheep, buffalo, duck, or chicken. Meat is expensive and poorer people usually can not afford it. So dashain is the time to eat lots of meat. Usually animals are bought live from the market and sacrificed at home or in temples. At home, the whole family is involved in cutting and preparing the meat that is usually eaten over the next 2 to 3 day's of feast. But some families prefer to buy the meat already prepared by the butcher.

Dashain is also about family respect, so that is why scattered families come together. Cities suddenly seems to empty, more people returning to villages than people joining families in cities. During this season, people rush to book tickets on buses or planes.

Everybody tries to get home to see familiy

Children love the season also for flying kites and if you visit Kathmandu or any other city during this season, the day-sky is filled with colorful kites like shinning stars in the night!

Tika is a symbol on the forehead that the deity being worshipped is given the highest honor by the person wearing it. Getting a tika is also thought to be a blessing. The oldest person in the family begins giving Dashain tika to the youngest then the second youngest in the family and so on. There is a Hindu belief that 'faith', 'hope', 'inspiration' and 'blessings', all come alive in Dashain.

Traditionally, popular Dashain bank notes are Rupees 2, 5, 10, and 25. Therefore receiving a tika and offering money in notes is regarded as an appreciation. Everybody tries to get smaller and new notes, so banks are usually busy during the season.
The houses and temples are decorated. Walls get a new coat of paints, roads are cleaned, homes and temples are decorated with lights, villagers join together to clean or build new trails, paint their homes using red-colored mud. People clean themselves mentally too by visiting various temples and worshiping during the festival. Puja is regarded as worshiping god for peace and prosperity and are performed at the end of Dashain. Playing cards is a popular during Dashain. Usually family members play cards with each-other or with friends for money.

Village children ride on Ferris wheels, and swings built using traditional methods (ropes made from tough grass, bamboo sticks and wood). Commercial fairs and celebration events are organised in cities.

Some Christian visit their families but do not participate in eating the food sacrificed or receive the tika that shows participation in Hindu worship. Other Christians use it as an opportunity to encourage, train and coach new believers.


Pray for :

- Christian communities and leaders in Nepal

- Christian believers who face persecution from their families

- Organisations including UMN that are focused on development and anti-trafficking

- Nepal peace process and drafting of the new constitution

- Nepal security situation - there has been increase of petty criminal activities

6.8 quake hits Nepal and five lose lives in Kathmandu and Sunsari

An earthquake measuring 6.8 Richter scale jolted Nepal on Sunday, 18^th September 2011 at 6.25 pm. It was the strongest quake to hit the country in 73 years. The epicenter was between Taplejung in Eastern Nepal and the India state of Sikkim. There were 14 aftershocks of varying magnitude that were recorded. The number of casualties and extent of damage is still to be ascertained. However the Nepal home affair ministry had reported that 60 people were injured in a stampede whilst jumping off the building in Kathmandu. Three people died after the compound wall of the British Embassy collapsed in the aftermath of the quake.

The parliament session stalled 15 minutes after lawmakers rushed out of the the parliament building when the strong earthquake hit. 

My family was safe and we thank God for protection. Let’s remember to pray for families whose houses were damaged and those who lost their dear ones and friends.

When children live positively

In Nepal, some children are not spared HIV due to infection spread by migrant workers. A child is born with HIV virus because the family could not afford to meet their basic needs.  It happened because the father decided to go to India to look for a job and while there he was infected with HIV.  On his return it was transmitted to his wife and finally to the unborn child. 

According to a report published by the United Nations, labour migrants make up 41 percent of the total known HIV infections.  Nowadays people are more aware about HIV compared to the situation 10 years ago and the stigma faced by people living with HIV has decreased.  But no significant progress has been made when it comes to containing the incidence of HIV brought by migrant workers. UMN will expand its HIV work to focus more on migrants. The community’s capacity to reduce the impact of HIV will be developed and this will give hope to the affected people. If families are able to meet their needs then children’s lives will be protected. There are other cases of children who suffer silently and, because sufficient stigma still persists, the family is afraid to go for treatment, care and support. What kills is the stigma! 

Nepal has wonderful children

Pray for:

·        Children who are infected and affected by HIV

·        Migrant workers that God protect them

·        Female community health volunteers who are supporting  the needy children

·        Communities to protect the rights of children

Challenges for addressing HIV and AIDS in Nepal

A second national congress of people living with HIV was conducted in Kathmandu and 300 delegates attended. Most of the people living with HIV are poor and marginalized; poverty and low literacy remain the major factors that fuel the epidemic. Some could not access treatment due to stigma and living remotely. However, Nepal has made some progress as there are over 5000 people with access to Antiretroviral Therapy (ART).

One of the challenges faced in the fight against the HIV is the fact that many people do not simply know their HIV status and also many discontinue Antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) simply because the ART sites are far away from their homes. Viral load testing services are essential within six months of starting ARV treatment. Similarly drug resistance testing is also needed for those who are on ARVs for more than 3 years but such services are lacking. Livelihood support for people infected by HIV is limited and the media reports cases of discrimination against children affected by AIDS in Schools.

Please pray for the government here to ensure the rights of children affected by AIDS; formulation of a HIV bill to protect the rights of people infected and affected by AIDS; and for political commitment to respond to HIV and AIDS.

The United Mission to Nepal continues to support people infected and affected by AIDS for livelihood, treatment and care. The National Association of people living with HIV and AIDS in Nepal has been playing a crucial role ensure the right of women and children in regards to access to treatment services.


Women access information on HIV and AIDS. Some battle with effects of the epidemic and others are now educators.

 

Please note ...

... that I won't be able to access or update this blog for the next few weeks - sorry! Hopefully manage to blog more often starting end of July.

Prayers for a 'New Nepal'

UMN is partnering with the Nepali Christian Community to encourage churches to act on various social issues, and have input into building a “New Nepal”. Local facilitators are now trained to conduct workshops across the country for church leaders.

Please remember the following points in your prayer for New Nepal:

1. Local workshops with the Christian communities in Pokhara, Butwal, Damauli and Baglung next week to explore the social issues and possible Christian responses on them.

2. Local churches and Christian communities to initiate financial contributions for this movement.

3. Press Conference with local bodies next month to promote servant leadership pledge from the Christian community.

United Mission to Nepal's new logo

short break ...

This blog is taking a short technical break - back in a week or so!

Being with people living positively ... in Doti

I recently had a succesful visit to Doti where I was able to meet women and men ‘living positively’.

Doti District is a hill district in far-west Nepal. The neighboring district of Accham has the highest HIV prevalence rates. Doti has great needs with minimal presence of other working agencies due to lack of basic infrastructure and the nature of the terrain. The challenges include food insufficiency, poor education and lack of access to health care. Caste-based discrimination, negative cultural practices and violence against women are significant problems in Doti.

To support their families, many men, mainly productive youths, migrate to India as seasonal labour. Whilst in some ways seems positive, this also has had some negative impact. Unsafe sexual practices among the men (27% of migrants engage in high risk sexual behaviours in India) have resulted in HIV becoming a significant problem in this district in Nepal. In addition, farming has become neglected. Therefore, addressing issues of migration would try to curb the spread of HIV in Doti district.

In the village communities, virtually all the men had migrated predominantly to India for work and just women and children were left. The men return briefly to assist at harvest time. Children drop out of school to migrate and even those with a good education also leave. The groups of women who are HIV positive has been facing many challenges and often not particularly concerned about the longer term consequences of their HIV infection as their focus remains on the present and survival of each day. However, it is not just those who are HIV positive that find themselves in desperate circumstances since many have no opportunities for income generation. Since most of people are affected by HIV, stigma and discrimination seem to be reduced.

The greater need is to ensure improved sanitation, access to Antiretroviral Therapy (ARVs) and nutrition. The United Mission to Nepal, through its partner, has been working to support people living with HIV to have access to ARVs. Due to the remoteness of the communities, support with transportation to the main hospital for treatment and for CD4 count remains an area of need. I saw very few toilets in the village and UMN has been encouraging communities to install these. It takes time to change people’s attitude towards that but I was glad to see one toilet installed. This could reduce other infections for both children and adults.

A snapshot of life in Nepal

UMN staff have had a whole week to learn from each other and to finalize plans for the coming year. There was sharing of good practice ranging from families infected by Aids; income-generating activities; community effort regarding peace building; rehabilitation for children with disabilities; and strengthening of work with government local agencies regarding communities.

It is encouraging to see the Government collecting statistics of children affected by armed conflict and providing community based reintegration programme. According to the National Human Rights Commission more than 500 children lost their lives, 40,000 displaced and more than 8,000 orphaned or separated from their families in the course of armed conflict since 1996.

In Nepal everyone is looking forward to Holi, a festival for colour. It is a sacred spring festival celebrated by Hindu people. Celebrations include people throwing colored powder and colored water at each other. Bonfires are lit in memory of the miraculous escape of young Prahlad when the demon Holika, sister of Hiranyakashipu, carried him into the fire. Holi is clebrated with family, friends and neighbors.

- Pray that the Government will curb organized crime as the bill is yet to be introduced in the cabinet meeting.
- Pray for my 6-day visit starting this week to far western Nepal for assessment on Migration and HIV in Doti

UMN women celebrated Women’s day with a song ‘we shall overcome some day when we shall work hand in hand!”



Encouraging facts

An impressive majority of people now consider HIV as an issue to be addressed in Nepal. Some faith organisations both Christian and non-Christian  show willingness to educate young people in churches and in communities. Christian volunteers are supporting not only reproductive health education, but also care for people affected by Aids.

A number of leaders from other faiths have expressed their wish to do more if government departments would approach them and recognise their potential contribution.

The training of religious leaders is an area identified by many as a need, a positive way forward and financial assistance is essential to expanding the role of faith-based organisations in HIV prevention and care.

There is an apparent misconception about HIV though with geographical differences. Some of the religious leaders residing in rural and remote areas regard HIV as a divine punishment for sin or consequence of immoral behavior. Those who have been trained have shown a more positive view about Aids as a disease associated with ignorance and poverty and display a positive attitude towards those affected.

I visited Morang District and had a meeting with peer educators from the communities. One young man came to me inspired and he said “I want to do something to members of my community who live in abject poverty!” I felt the weight of those words and I learned that he came from a Muslim community, of course a minority group in Nepal. I encouraged him to share knowledge, skills and provide accurate information to his community especially on health related issues including HIV and that would create a more positive view and attitude in overcoming poverty to some extent. It was interesting to hear the positive side of their experiences and challenges they faced in the community. They took me round to see the condition that the community lives in and I found that poor sanitation was a common problem e.g. blocked water drainage systems and lack of toilets.

-Please pray for the community volunteers and local government institutions as do their plans to address the problems and priority areas.

Photo: These are the peer educators who have been raising awareness on HIV and other health related issues in various parts of Morang District.

A step forward?

The Government of Nepal has brought in a HIV/AIDS National Policy-2011. This policy aims to secure the rights of people living with HIV and Aids, such as access to social security, in order to minimise inequality. The policy will try to provide equal opportunity in health education and other social sectors.

People living with HIV in Nepal face many challenges as most of them are from low caste and can only do very low paying jobs which can not sustain their families. Women whose husbands have passed away bear the extra burden of taking care of children.

Church leaders are mobilising their congregations to support people living with HIV and Aids to improve their living condition for instance construction of shelter for the very needy families in Sunsari District and they have already started supporting two families.

Thank you for praying for Nepal. There is now a new Prime Minister Mr.Jhala Nath Khanal. We hope that all political parties will work in unity to ensure the peace process comes to a logical end and that the new constitution will be finalized. Please pray that the Government will urgently examine pending child rights laws and expedite their endorsement.

Photo (left): Representatives from Christian organisations working on HIV from five districts of Nepal attended a two day follow-up meeting in Sunsari. It was encouraging to hear what the organisations do and their struggle to reduce stigma and discrimination.