HIV/AIDS: Focus On The Church

Until recently, the stand of
the church in developing climes, like Nigeria, on HIV/AIDS has been that of contempt. The immediate consideration has always been that all infected persons are promiscuous.
Consequently, the church had more-or-less been a key advocate of the condemnation of people living with the HIV virus. The most obvious reason is that the stand of the church is in accordance with the biblical injunction that if a finger would lead one to hell, the best thing to do is to cut it off.
Thus, rather than use its position as a citadel of thought capable of moulding the reasoning of a people, the church was found to add to the condemnation of the people living with the virus.
Lately, however, the importance of the church in the fight against the HIV/AIDS pandemic has been emphasised in different fora, with all noting the extent to which the church can play significant roles in checking HIV prevalence.
In a recent two-day training programme organised by the Christian Assocciation of Nigeria (CAN), Etche Branch, in collaboration with the Rivers State Agency for the Control of AIDS (RIVSACA) for church leaders, ministers of God, women groups, etc, the Director of Programmes, Ms Emila Obilor, laid more emphasis on the role of the church.
In her paper titled “HIV and the Church”, Obilor ventured into such areas as “How HIV affects the Church”, “misconceptions”, “what the church needs to do”, and “sundry issues relating to Health Counseling and Testing (HCT), stigma and discrimination, particularly as it relates to the church.
According to her, prior to now, most churches misinformed their followers on issues relating to HIV, making them believe that the infection is either a punishment from God, or witchcraft attack.
Consequently, the church has always attached one form of stigma or the other on people known to be HIV positive. Thus, rather than embrace, love, care and support an infected person, the church rather sees the person as a bad influence on other members.
Another form of discrimination which occurs in some churches is the  compulsory  HIV test for intending couples before marriage. Some of these churches dissociate themselves from couples who turn out to be positive, with particular reference to sero-discordant couples.
The implication of such treatment is an increase in the tendency for such identified HIV-positive couples to withdraw deep into their shelves, feeling that if the church could so discriminate against them, what will the rest of the world not do to them?
Over the years, the stance of the church sterms ignorance warranted by its strict adherence to peculiar perceived biblical injunctions without due consideration for societal development.
This explains the  that HIV is only for those who have attracted the wrath of God by their sinful ways, or who God has abandoned and hence allowed witchcraft to affect.
The implication is that even those who know they are HIV positive would prefer to hold onto God believing they will be cured, even when they may not have the requisite faith. Haven chosen to rely on God for their deliverance, they fail to access HIV treatment.
For the same reason of belief in miracle or faith deliverance, many people infected or affected by HIV run to churches for spiritual or faith healing. They rely on their pastors or church leaders for counseling and support instead of members of their families.
The current stance taken by some churches in HIV response has, however, proved that the church is now ready not only to acknowledge that its role in HIV/AIDS response is vital, but also that given its strategic position, it needs to be at the forefront. This was the crux of all the presentations made during the two-day training programme in Etche Local Government Area.
Ms Obilor, in her presentation, emphasised the strategic position of the church when she noted that “most people in the southern part of Nigeria are Christians and belong to one church denomination or the other”, and that most people living with HIV attend these churches.
And, given the reverence accorded churches, pastors, ministers of God, etc, she said, “the church needs to take the issue of HIV seriously”. One way to do this is by ministering to “their physical health, not only their spiritual health”.
To be able to use its position to advantage in the fight against HIV, therefore, Ms Obilor recommends that the church should start by being proactive. This should start with ensuring that its leaders, pastors, ministers of God, etc, are well informed on HIV issues, such as afforded by the two-day training in Etche, to enable them grasp the intricacies of HIV/AIDS.
With such knowledge, the church would be well equipped to preach about the pandemic, using guided sermons, meditations and quotes from the Scripture to support both the infected and affected and give them strength.
“Be sensitive and compassionate; be careful not to further condemn, exclude or further stigmatise people already suffering from rejection and emotional trauma. “Be accurate and clear; speak openly and honestly about the transmission of HIV, using scientific facts that are widely available, and about treatment and care of those living with HIV or AIDS”, she said.
Also making his presentation titled “The Church’s Responses to HIV/AIDS”, a clergy, Rev. Nathaniel F. Luke, of the “Interfaith HIV/AIDS Coalition of Nigeria”, summarised the roles faith-based organisations should play.
According to him, they should help infected persons move from fear to hope and live meaningfully with dignity; offer medical, emotional and spiritual assistance to families of infected persons and promote/participate in community home-based care for people living with HIV/AIDS, as well as provide referral system for those infected.
Rev. Luke also tasked churches to develop programmes on caring for orphans and vulnerable children; establish and provide links with support groups for those infected; organise outreach programmes within communities; ensure that people infected or affected by HIV within the church do not suffer stigma or discrimination as well as provide pastoral care and spiritual support to persons living with HIV/AIDS.
He further tasked churches to provide support and care for those who are sick or dying of AIDS and ensure that they are dignified even at death; foster behaviour change among church members to prevent new infection and network with other organisations or strengthen the church’s response to the pandemic.
Earlier, while declaring the training open, the Executive Director of RIVSACA, Dr. Chimezie Okeh, set the tone of the meeting. He stated the reality of the rise in HIV prevalence in Rivers State, nay the country, crediting it to the fact that all strategies for preventing a rise are still weak.
Part of what has culminated in this situation, he noted, is that although there are over 200 Prevention of Mother-To-Child-Transmission (PMTCT) of HIV/AIDS sites in Rivers State, only relatively few women access them.
Worst still, most of the women patronise Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) and churches, preferring to deliver in such places to government recognised health facility. This, he said, has made it difficult to check the trend of Mother-To-Child Transmission (MTCT) of HIV/AIDS.
Another factor, he continued, is the astronomical rise in the number of brothels in the state, due mostly to economic factors. The result is an increase in young girls who hawk sex, which is “a core transmitter” of HIVAIDS.
Dr. Okeh explained that the decision to focus on the church now is because numerous efforts made through other segments faced sustainability problem, which also contributed to the rise in HIV prevalence.
“That is why we are now even coming down to the church, because we believe that the church, due to its nature, can sustain it with their resources. “Not necessarily financial, but because when you train a pastor, he or she can train members without money. So we are now looking for what is sustainable, and that sustainability factor is what has not been there before”, he said.
The first resource person of the training was the Director, Partnership Coordination, RIVSACA, Dr. Naaziga Francis. In his presentation titled “HIV/AIDS Basic Information”, he familiarised participants with the global and local HIV/AIDS epidemiology, educated them on basic facts on the pandemic, and outlined preventive steps.
According to Dr. Francis, the global situation shows that more than 35 million people are now living with HIV; every day more than 5,700 people contact HIV, nearly 240 every hour; 1.5 million people died of AIDS-related illness in 2013; 91% of the world’s HIV-positive children live in sub-Sahara; and an estimated 1.1 million adults and children died of AIDS in 2013, accounting for 73% of the world’s AIDS deaths.
The Nigerian burden, he said, shows that the country now has the second highest number of people leaving with the virus in the world after South Africa; there are 3.2 million people living with the virus as at 2013. HIV has so far killed an estimated 3 million Nigerians and orphans due to AIDS. Aged 0 – 17 years stood at 2 million as at 2013.

Assistant Manager, Total Nigeria, Port Harcourt, Dr. (Mrs) Nkoyo Attah (2nd left), presenting HIV/AIDS screening machines to the representative of Rivers State Health Management Board, Dr. O. N. Irangunsma (3rd right) at an event in Port Harcourt recently. With them are other dignitaries. Photo: Obinna Prince Dele