Submitted by Faith Kuria on Tue, 2013-10-08 10:46
- STORIES FROM MAAI MAHIU, KENYA -
After identifying the need in the Maasai community for a response on HIV/AIDS issues, CTC, World Council of Churches, GAPA Members and church leaders came together to organize a workshop aiming to mitigate HIV/AIDS stigma in the community. The participants included all of the support groups from the Maasai land and religious leaders from different denominations within the GAPA coverage areas.
The theme was "Church-based response to HIV/AIDS", to encourage the church to respond more positively to the HIV issue amongst the community. The workshop was also based on reduction of SSDDIM and SAVE Intervention.
Stigma and Shame: Refers to those who are infected and stigmatized by the church. HIV is still perceived as a curse and those who are infected are seen as outcasts, bringing about a feeling of shame about his/her situation.
SAVE Intervention: SAVE is surpassing the ideology of ABC, which has only been focusing on Abstinence, Being faithful and Condom use.
S- Safer practices in infection prevention
A- Access to information care and support
V- Voluntary counseling and testing
E- Empowerment
SAVE also covers harmful cultural elements of the culture such as Female Genital Mutilation, which is still exercised in the community, traditional birth attendants, myths, misconceptions and poor sanitation. This can be due to older women using unsafe equipment, or using the same instrument to operate on an infected patient without proper sanitation, resulting in a whole group being infected. The church therefore, should support and take care of the infected instead of stigmatizing and discriminating them.
Discrimination and Denial: Others are discriminated by their own families. In the Maasai community, men have a higher position than women, who are put in the same class as children. For a woman to be tested for HIV, she must first get the consent of her husband. If he says no, the woman cannot be tested and left not knowing her status. Also when a woman is widowed, she is permitted to have children with other men which also increases the rate of infection. Men are the decision makers and no woman can make any decision whatsoever.
The church has a responsibility in the community to protect those infected with HIV/AIDS. First the mold of traditional culture and myth needs to be broken, in order to embrace the emerging changes in the world. A differentiation between a harmful culture and a useful culture must be made, in order to come together to rescue the community. The church leaders are joining hands in mitigating the HIV/AIDS stigma in the community. Most pastors have come out to be tested and this is a very positive move towards making a change.
Blog By: Faith Kuria, CTC Human Resource Manager
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