Search
  1. Home
  2. Africa
  • News

Churches tackle stigma through HIV testing

    JOHANNESBURG

    Around 800 African clerics representing more than 150 churches and 39 countries agreed to be tested for HIV during an assembly of the All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC) held recently in Yaounde, the capital of Cameroon.

    The secretary-general of the AACC, Bishop Mvume Dandala, urged all clerics who tested positive to reveal their status so as to assist in tackling the stigma against HIV/AIDS. He guaranteed they would be supported by other church leaders.

    In an interview with the BBC, Dandala said: "I think it is important for people living with HIV/AIDS to come out into the open, and for us all as a church to learn how to handle one another in a responsible way."

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

    Share this article

    Our ability to deliver compelling, field-based reporting on humanitarian crises rests on a few key principles: deep expertise, an unwavering commitment to amplifying affected voices, and a belief in the power of independent journalism to drive real change.

    We need your help to sustain and expand our work. Your donation will support our unique approach to journalism, helping fund everything from field-based investigations to the innovative storytelling that ensures marginalised voices are heard.

    Please consider joining our membership programme. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful impact on how the world responds to crises.

    Become a member of The New Humanitarian

    Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

    Join