tiistai 26. helmikuuta 2013

A prayer alone will not stop HIV


Today happened a very welcome coincidence, when in the Swaziland National HIV & AIDS Information and Training Centre happened to be the officer of the Church Forum on HIV and AIDS at the same time and who right away invited to their office and to meet the director of the Church Forum and pastor of Lutheran church Mister Shabalala. I was provided with a very useful material concerning the history and work of the Forum, teaching manuals used for church leaders and congregations, seminar materials and reports of Pan African Christian AIDS Networks and reports of the cooperation between the churches on the challenging field of HIV. Also it was very valuable to have warm support for field project and target of diaconal strengthening from the administrative leadership level from someone who is passionate towards his own church. 

HIV has indeed seriously effect on all levels of the society, individuals and economy of the country including the churches. On the Mental Health Problems and Society course in UNISWA we for instance see HIV as a psychosocial problem and study about the impacts of the HIV to the Health Sector, on Households, on Enterprises and Workplaces and on vulnerable groups such as children.

1 kommentti:

  1. Dear Suvi, it is really exciting that you have been able to see and learn so much in only two weeks! If you find any on-going projects where mobile phones are used for health or if you hear about someone who would like to start such a project, let me know. Our on-line training course will start next Monday, but if we do not get any students now from Swaziland, we can talk about how to organize maybe a special training there.
    Bon courage!

    VastaaPoista