Fighting ignorance, fear and stigma through Bible study
Pauline Wanjiru Njiru with one of Kenya's Grandmothers against Poverty and AIDS. Now in her 80s, Naomi has been bent over since she broke her spine while cutting firewood in order to cook for her orphaned grandchildren.The shock expressed by members of a rural congregation when offered an opportunity for voluntary HIV testing and counselling, and other similar experiences have taught Pauline Wanjiru Njiru that it is not the Human Immunodeficiency Virus that kills people, but fear, stigma and ignorance.
People are ignorant of the basic facts about HIV and AIDS, and they stigmatize others because they fear being associated with HIV and they fear infection, says Njiru, who works with the Ecumenical HIV and AIDS Initiative in Africa (EHAIA). Because of the stigma, people are unwilling to undergo testing.
However, Njiru has learned that a contextual style of Bible study is one of the keys to helping the church overcome the stigma of HIV and AIDS and saving lives.
