Let’s think and act in this era of HIV

When people hear about HIV, all that comes into their mind is death, fear and rejection. Stigma and discrimination takes its roots and people tend to avoid the problem instead of confronting it. Instead of fighting HIV and AIDS, they fight people and this is the beginning of discrimination and violation of human rights.

The people living with HIV prefer secrecy and isolation to the risk of exposure, rejection and discrimination, causing many to remain cut off from information, treatment, care and support in their communities.

HIV and AIDS is a rare word spoken by both literate and illiterate people.

The ongoing disaster is far away compared to Rita, Wilma hurricane, earthquakes, hunger and floods.  A big silence as it engulfs, affecting people, shaking countries socio-economic sphere and bringing hopelessness. Globally 33.3 Million People are living with HIV and 7000 get infected everyday. How many people are living with HIV in your country? The men, women and children are not spared either!

Dealing with the challenge and reality of HIV,  promoting care and acceptance of those living positively and their involvement is not only a moral requirement for every one, but also an integral part of HIV and AIDS prevention, treatment, care and support. In Nepal, the majority of people who test positive are shy of publicly declaring their Sero-status and one of the ways to overcome fear is strengthening networks and institutions to provide platform for their support and ensuring everyone in the community have accurate information and informed about the importance of HIV test.

The involvement and interaction of religious leaders and people living with HIV can also reinforce the seriousness of the epidemic and inspire hope towards achieving Zero-HIV infections, Zero- deaths and Zero -discrimination.

 

 

The Evangelical Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Nepal has started to implement an HIV curriculum.

Accelerating response to HIV by equipping facilitators from Bible Schools in Nepal

Churches and faith based organisation are undoubtedly uniquely positioned to implement a holistic response to HIV and AIDS at community level. In Nepal at least there is a Church in 75 districts. Churches are becoming well established and demonstrating sustainability. It is therefore the call of the Church not only to provide spiritual nurturing but also to stand by people during any form of suffering, need, witness and strive against any form of injustice. We have a responsibility to call on the power and the word of God to offer compassion, reconciliation, prayer and hope to all people affected by HIV and AIDS. The priority is to have Churches work together to decide what common theological and ethical standards using the challenge posed by HIV as an opportunity for moral and spiritual growth, to care for one another, to support the living and the dying and appreciate the gift of life.

Equipping facilitators will enable them to share correct information on HIV and AIDS, challenge stigma and interpret the scripture as a guiding principles.

Bible School teachers training on HIV and AIDS (Facilitation skills on technical matters)

Witnessing to the Gospel require more than preaching, teaching and praying, as important as these actions are, it asks people of faith to be actively involved in bringing about the values that the Gospel stands for example love, compassion, care and solidarity with those that suffer. Presenting the Gospel as ambassadors for Christ may mean start with what we say, it continues with what we do and it ends with who we are!

Prayer: Let's pray that the loving God, him alone knows the end from the beginning to  lift up all HIV and AIDS patients from pain and grant them new hope. Pray for the families of the patients for protection, patience and strength.

Theological Institutions commitment to respond to HIV and AIDS in Nepal

In Nepal theological Institutions now embrace to respond to HIV. The HIV course was launched and a four day training of facilitators was conducted. The HIV course will be implemented in Believers Church Minor Seminar,  Kingdom Bible School, Shepherd Bible School, Nepal Methodist Theological Seminary, GFA Bible College, YWAM Frontier Mission, NKIC, Nepal Ebenezer Bible College and Evangelical Presbyterian Theological Seminary. The course content is about facts on HIV and AIDS, gender and sexuality, biblical perspective, church response, pastoral counseling and capacity enhancement.

The facilitators will teach the HIV course to prepare the students to mobilize churches and communities to respond to HIV. It was agreed that church can replace fear with hope, ignorance with knowledge, blame with respect and shame with dignity.

Facilitators from Bible schools and Micah network

Declaration of Commitment by Theological facilitators in 2013 during the training:

• We are committed to facilitate courses on HIV and AIDS in our colleges and churches.
• We will encourage our students to facilitate their churches to learn this material about HIV and AIDS.
• We will create a stigma free environment in the Bible schools by developing positive attitudes toward people living with HIV and AIDS.
• We will develop a network for facilitators of the HIV and AIDS curriculum to continue developing our skills.
• We will have at least an annual seminar on theological issues related to HIV and AIDS.
• We will add materials about HIV and AIDS to our college libraries.

Pray for:

• Justice – that there is an end to HIV stigma and discrimination

• Truth – that education effectively reaches those most at risk of contracting HIV so that

  they know how to avoid infection

• Hope – for scientists developing treatments and working towards a cure. And wisdom   

  for the doctors treating those living with HIV

• Love – that each of us shows Christ’s love and helps fight the spread of HIV and

  challenge HIV stigma

• Healing – that people live well with HIV developing their lives physically, spiritually

  and emotionally

• Faith – that those living with HIV know God’s love and peace

Hopeful.....

Children who courageously live positively

The estimated 13,000-plus children in Nepal who are already living with and affected by HIV. But to be an HIV-positive child is not nearly as dire as it once was. As we have been seeing with adults infected with the virus, controlling HIV in young patients has dramatically improved in recent years. Approximately a decade ago, a pediatric HIV diagnosis was associated with a dismal prognosis: most infected children would die before their fifth birthday. Today, thanks to early access to care and advances in HIV drug treatment, approximately half of all HIV-infected children will live to enter and graduate from school. And with more information quickly emerging with respect to how HIV-infected children should be treated, we can expect the success rate to improve significantly.

Caring for a child who is HIV positive comes with many challenges. We sincerely hope that the learnings will enable the health workers and communities better understand children and HIV, but also to enhance communication with pediatric health care providers.

Strengthening family's livelihood base would also reduce the impact of the epidemic. Children support for nutritious food, education ,access to treatment, emotional support and helping communities to care for sick and vulnerable children remain a priority.

Pray for children living positively during this winter season as we envision a world where children and families can live free of HIV infection and in which families that are affected by HIV and AIDS can live positively and productively without stigma and discrimination