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.