PAGE ONE

Home -  Page One - Page Two - Page Three - Page Four - Page Five - Page Six

HONDURAS - HIV AND AIDS PREVENTION NOW AT WORK

Two programs have been evolving over the last two years, through the efforts of Drs. Norvelle Goff and Gerard Rudy at the Moravian Evangelical Clinic in Ahuas, Honduras. The first is a program of education about HIV and AIDS causes and risks, as well as what people can do for prevention. The focus of this program is teaching about the importance of abstinence or faithfulness within relationships. 

Ondina Brown, RN, has received training through Samaritan’s Purse. In February she presented information to 30 leaders and pastors of the Moravian Church in Wawina. In March, Lorena Gray, RN, held several sessions at churches and schools in the Cocobila area, with people expressing much interest in learning about HIV and AIDS. In May, two workshops were held in the community of Ahuas. One was with 30 wives of pastors, meeting at the Bethel Moravian Church. The second was with 111 participants of the Baptist Church. Pre and post-tests were administered. Both groups included pregnant women who were instructed in the importance of HIV testing to prevent transmission of HIV to their infants. The plan is to continue these education programs in various Moravian communities, and hopefully to collaborate with other agencies in this effort.

The second prevention program is the mobile expansion of the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT). Moravian Clinic personnel go out to rural areas every 3 months to provide counseling and testing for HIV. Presumed grant funding for this program has not come through, so both the education and mobile PMTCT programs are being supported by BWM AIDS Ministry funds. Dr. Gerard Rudy reported that he is seeing an increase in the number of pregnant women who test positive for HIV. In one recent case, the mother already had illness suggestive of AIDS by the time she delivered, and the infant did not survive beyond 3 days. We hope that with our expansion of the PMTCT program, these cases can be eliminated.          

Submitted by Judy Harke
 

INTERNATIONAL AIDS CONFERENCE

Sister Judy Harke, HIV/AIDS Coordinator for the BWM, had the opportunity to attend the XVI International AIDS Conference, held August 13-18, 2006 in Toronto, Canada. She reports that “while there were hopeful times with progress made in prevention in some countries, as well as increasing people being able to access treatment, there clearly is a long way to go in order to get ahead of and curtail this pandemic. It was evident that this is a complex problem, with causes and impacts at all levels of society worldwide. We have known AIDS for 25 years. Twenty-five million have died, and 38.5 million are infected. Yet only 10% of people know their status. Speakers called for “keeping the promises” that governments have made to provide resources to combat HIV and AIDS, and challenged all that a long-term commitment is needed if we are to succeed.

“Clearly the powerless and marginalized people worldwide, those to whom we are called to minister as Christians, are those who suffer most. Stigma continues to be a prime deterrent to people being tested and accessing the health care system, but there are broader, systemic issues that also contribute to the lack of progress in fighting this disease. These include rural location, transportation and child care issues, inheritance rights, government policies, pharmaceutical and free trade regulations, and the lack of gender equity.

“Indeed, the challenge before the church is multifaceted, if we are to be agents of healing and wholeness to those with HIV and AIDS. And fundamentally it asks us to move toward valuing the worth of each individual that God has placed on this planet, no matter how different that person may be.”

Over the next month, Sister Harke will post more information from AIDS 2006 on the AIDS Ministry section with more details on the BWM website (www.moravianmissions.org). People are encouraged to continue to learn about HIV/AIDS, its impact on congregations and communities, as well as steps that can be taken against its growth, both locally and globally. 

Submitted by Sam Gray