"The church is strategically positioned to fight AIDS. Most people in Kenya place a lot of trust in their pastor or Imam," said Reverend Gilbert Ayiera of the Eastlands Pentecostal Pastor's Fellowship. "We have decided to use that influence positively to prevent our people from dying more."
The Archbishop of the Anglican Church, Benjamin Nzimbi, issued a public apology for having shunned HIV-positive people, saying, "Our earlier approach in fighting AIDS was misplaced, since we likened it to a disease for sinners and a curse from God."
Ayiera, whose programme began in 2003, said he had also preached a "condemning message" about HIV. "Today ... I tell people to be careful of the dangers of HIV, but I also encourage the congregation to show love to those infected people and care for them. I tell HIV-positive people that God still loves them and they can continue to live positively."
He said most pastors initially rejected the idea of being more involved in HIV/AIDS. "They felt that their role was limited to preaching the word of God, but over time that has changed, and about three-quarters of church leaders in this area are involved in active programmes on HIV/AIDS. We work with more than 200 churches, holding training sessions to educate pastors on how to tell their parishioners about the pandemic."
His church's prevention focus is on abstinence, but Ayiera said he also educated some members about condoms.
A recent report, 'Faith Untapped', by Tearfund, a faith-based nongovernmental organisation, said, "Churches have unparalleled influence and a long reach into remote areas ... for spreading messages about AIDS ... Crucially, churches are in a unique position to dispel the prejudice and gender inequality on which HIV and AIDS feed, provided they recognise the part they often play in reinforcing stigma and discrimination."
Faith groups provide about 40 percent of healthcare in many African countries.
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