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From 4 to 9 December 2023, thousands of people convened in Harare, Zimbabwe, for the 22nd International Conference on Aids and STIs in Africa (ICASA). Scientists, medical experts, advocates, people living with HIV, and civil society organizations came together under the theme “AIDS IS NOT OVER: Address inequalities; accelerate inclusion and innovation.” Participants from many faith traditions were a meaningful part of many of these representative groups but also took up a space of their own.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) Ecumenical HIV and AIDS Initiatives and Advocacy programme will hold workshops in April 2021 on HIV treatment adherence in Ivory Coast and Nigeria.

Der Ökumenische Rat der Kirchen (ÖRK) richtet gemeinsam mit dem Christlichen Rat Nigerias einen Workshop mit dem Thema „Risiken und Gefahren durch HIV für Migrierende, Flüchtlinge und Binnenvertriebene“ aus, der vom 1. bis zum 5. März in Jos, Nigeria stattfindet.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) will co-host a workshop on “Addressing Risks and Vulnerability to HIV for Migrants, Refugees and Internally Displaced People” from 1-5 March in Jos, Nigeria.

An interfaith prayer breakfast in New York City on 26 September tackled the involvement of faith leaders and faith communities, in partnerships with non-faith actors, to accelerate optimal HIV services to reach men and children, and to promote action to address issues related to sexual violence against children and HIV.

A series of four manuals produced by the World Council of Churches (WCC) Ecumenical HIV and AIDS Initiatives and Advocacy were launched on 1 May in Nairobi, Kenya. The manuals address ecumenical needs for faith-based resources to treat and prevent the spread of HIV along with education on gender issues.

For HIV-infected people in Nairobi, the Eastern Deanery Aids Relief Program makes a difference. By providing a quarter of the antiretroviral therapy care, it helps around 26,000 HIV-infected people in the Kenyan capital to live normal lives.

Am Tag des afrikanischen Kindes 2017 beteiligten sich religiöse Verantwortungsträger/innen aus verschiedensten in Kenia vertretenen Glaubenstraditionen an einer Demonstration in Nairobi und sprachen sich öffentlich für die Rechte von HIV-positiven Kindern und Jugendlichen aus. Hunderte Menschen begleiteten sie, darunter auch Schulkinder aus sechs Schulen in Nairobi und Dutzende jugendliche Freiwillige.

Marching through the streets of Nairobi on the Day of the African Child 2017, religious leaders from a range of faith communities in Kenya spoke up publicly for the rights of children and adolescents living with HIV, accompanied by hundreds of people, among them school children from six Nairobi-based schools, as well as dozens of youth volunteers.

“She is HIV positive too. No need to inherit her late husband’s title deed. She will die soon and leave it anyway.”

These man’s thoughts during his brother’s funeral were used by Jane Ng’ang’a, national coordinator, International Network of Religious Leaders Living with or Personally Affected by HIV (INERELA+) Kenya Chapter, to push the debate on property and inheritance rights linked to HIV. The discussion was held during the 61st Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), on 16 March, at the headquarters of UNAIDS, in New York.

Mehr als 120 religiöse und geistliche Führungspersönlichkeiten, Fachpersonen aus dem Gesundheitsbereich und junge Menschen trafen sich am 7. und 8. Februar in Kenia mit dem Ziel, die Bekämpfung der Stigmatisierung von HIV zu intensivieren. Vertreterinnen und Vertreter der kenianischen Regierung, von zivilgesellschaftlichen Organisationen, Netzwerken von HIV-Betroffenen und Partnern aus der Entwicklungszusammenarbeit nahmen ebenfalls an dem Treffen in Nairobi teil. Das Thema der Tagung lautete „Faith on the Fast Track: Eliminating Stigma and Discrimination Through Love and Dialogue“ (Glaube auf der Überholspur: Stigma und Diskriminierung durch Liebe und Dialog überwinden), und sie beleuchtete die Auswirkungen des Dialograhmens, der seit 2013 in mehreren Ländern existiert. Die Veranstaltung wurde vom kenianischen Zweig des Internationalen Netzwerks religiöser Verantwortungsträger/innen, die HIV-positiv oder persönlich von HIV/AIDS betroffen sind (INERELA+ Kenia) und vom Globalen ökumenischen Aktionsbündnis des Ökumenischen Rates der Kirchen (ÖRK-EAA) organisiert und nebst anderen durch das Programm der Vereinten Nationen für HIV/Aids (UNAIDS) unterstützt.

More than 120 religious and spiritual leaders, health workers and young people met on 7-8 February to focus on strengthening the fight against stigma in the HIV response in Kenya. They were joined by representatives from the Kenyan government, civil society organizations, networks of people living with HIV, and development partners for an event in Nairobi. The meeting, “Faith on the Fast Track: Eliminating Stigma and Discrimination Through Love and Dialogue” aimed to assess the impact of the Framework for Dialogue methodology which has been implemented in several countries since 2013.

”We are here to listen. To learn what others do, so we can contextualize our understanding of HIV issues, and journey together in our work ahead. Because on HIV, we do not compete. We work together.”

„Gibt es eine Möglichkeit, Stigmatisierung und Diskriminierung innerhalb von Glaubensgemeinschaften zu thematisieren und ein Beispiel zu geben, damit die, die Leistungen für Betroffene erbringen und sie pflegen, sie nicht selbst stigmatisieren? Denn beim Thema HIV und Aids ist es egal, ob wir Christen oder Muslime, Männer oder Frauen sind. In Bezug auf HIV und Aids müssen wir als Menschen mit Menschen umgehen.“

“Is there a way we can address stigma and discrimination among faith communities, to set an example, so that those who are there to provide services, to give care, do not themselves stigmatize? Because when it comes to HIV and AIDS, it doesn’t matter if we are Christians or Muslims, women or men. With HIV and AIDS, we need to deal with it as human beings.”

Religious leaders must break their silence with regard to young people and sexual reproductive health, agreed young people and theologians gathered in Ivory Coast (Cote d’Ivoire) from 6-7 September.

To help the world’s children become HIV-free, faith groups must help bring UN goals to life through strong advocacy, rapid action and unprecedented collaboration, say experts. Children must be helped onto a “Super Fast Track” to end AIDS or they will die at what Dr Stuart Kean describes as a “shocking” rate.

The 21st International AIDS Conference, which concluded July 22, had its normal dose of science speak, with seminars and workshops ranging from new vaccine trials to the testing of a vaginal ring that appears to dramatically lower the risk of HIV infection in women.

People of faith and representatives of faith-based organizations demonstrated their commitment to meet the “Fast Track” challenges to end the AIDS epidemic at the 21st International AIDS Conference in Durban, 18-22 July. Extensive coverage of faith-based participation is available via www.iacfaith.org. Articles, video and photos will continue to be added.