Provincial
Reports
Much has happened
in the Provinces since the 2001 Boksburg workshop. Apart from
the appointment of full time HIV/AIDS coordinators over this period
(2001-2002), Provinces have focused on implementing the 6 call
areas as well as putting in place a strategic plan and Provincial
AIDS desks or incorporating the HIV program into existing programs
e.g. health departments.
Church
of the Province of Kenya
The Provincial
AIDS desk in the church of Kenya was started in 1997. The Province
has thus been able to operate through the nine (9) Christian Services
regions which are the development arms of the dioceses in the
Province. AIDS programs are integrated in the development programs
of the dioceses as well as pastoral activities while other dioceses
have complete AIDS programs. The main aim or objective of the
program in the Province is community empowerment through training
on HIV prevention, stigma reduction and sustainability of projects.
The church
in Kenya is also involved in capacity building especially for
the clergy. To this effect, in March 2002, thirty (30) clergy
were trained on HIV/AIDS counseling and stigma removal. The Province
conducted this training using its own funds. The interim CAPA
AIDS coordinator was invited to participate in the workshop.
Church
of the Province of Nigeria (Top)
The Province
of Nigeria has had its challenges due to the diversification of
the 79 Dioceses. It has however managed to offer treatment for
opportunistic infections as well as counseling for those who need
it, though at a small scale due to insufficient funds. The clinic
space as well as counseling rooms was provided by the provincial
Headquarters.
The Province
has also constituted a Provincial HIV/AIDS Committee to make planning
easier. In March and July 2002, sensitization workshops were held
in the Diocese of Abuja for church workers and all the clergy
and their wives. In addition, talks have been given in various
parishes on HIV with distribution of materials sourced from UNICEF
- these have only been conducted in Abuja and Kaduna Dioceses.
A very fruitful
sensitization was held at the National Anglican Youth Fellowship
Conference 2002, which was held in Kaduna. Over 1000 youth (male
and female) were in attendance. The Province has also managed
to develop networks with DFID, UNICEF, Bible Society, The National
AIDS office (NASCAP, the media, British High Commission, AIDS
Alliance, FMOH, NPHCDA and the Catholic Church.
The Episcopal
Church of Sudan(Top)
The Province
of the Episcopal Church of Sudan operates on two separate areas
controlled by different governments or authorities. There are
nearly 15 Dioceses, which operate under the Sudan People’s
Liberation Army/Movement (SPLA/M). There are a few that operate
in Northern Sudan and under government controlled towns of the
Southern Sudan. The report focuses on HIV/AIDS activities in the
SPLA/M controlled areas of southern Sudan.
Owing to the
current protracted civil war ragging in the Sudan, southern Sudan
does not have enough information or awareness campaign about the
Pandemic. The biggest population is internally displaced people
who face a lot of problem like insecurity, famine, lack of hospitals
and schools. Their attention is focused on war rather than on
the HIV and AIDS scourge.
Plans are
therefore under way in the Province to initiate a project that
will respond to the six call areas of the CAPA HIV/AIDS commission.
However, the Province has had some general activities since January
2002. Several Dioceses in the Provinces are participating in training
of youth, women and priests in various fields. Some of the activities
were coordinated through the Episcopal Church Support Office.
The Province is currently planning and developing a preventative
AIDS program for 2002/2003.
Church
of the Province of Southern Africa(Top)
There is currently
in evidence more emphasis on hands on activity in the field of
HIV/AIDS work in the CPSA. Strategic efforts targeting poverty
eradication as well as orphan placement programs have evolved
at the local level. Theological Educators are also participating
in the process through the reforms in the seminary training i.e.
every student at the College of Transfiguration (C.O.T) undergoing
Ministerial Formation at the college be required to do a course
in HIV/AIDS as of 2003.
To this effect
C.P.S.A. linked up with MAP international and organized a skills
workshop held in July 2002 to which all Theological Education
Institutions within C.P.S.A. were invited to send representatives.
A follow up workshop is planned for October 2002.
There is a
unified plan in the dioceses of C.P.S.A. The Province has managed
to carry out a strategic planning process which involved all the
dioceses under the jurisdiction of C.P.S.A., with the support
of staff from the office of the Archbishop and with secular facilitation
leadership from policy Project Cape Town, strategic planning activities
have been carried out and completed.
The Province
has several plans under way one of them is a Train the trainer
course with 21 sessions to be held in 20 dioceses. In each diocese,
20 members of Mothers union and Anglican Women’s fellowship
will be trained.
Church of
the Province of Central Africa(Top)
An example
in the Province is the Anglican Children’s project initiated
as the street children’s project in September 1996 and currently
taking on the responsibility to increase the capacity of orphans
and other vulnerable children and their families with HIV/AIDS
issues integrated in responding to their needs through community
based and other interventions. The center provides services to
children and their families in terms of education, skills training,
psychosocial counseling, supplementary feeding, exchange visits
and provision of recreation. To date they are working with 853
orphans and other vulnerable children using curative and preventive
approaches.
Several seminars
have been carried out in the Province i.e. Zimbabwe, Zambia and
Malawi with specialists in HIV/AIDS and the clergy. Training of
clergy and laity has been done on different levels. A training
of the trainer’s workshop was organized in Kitwe from 22nd
to 29th of August which aimed at providing current and accurate
basic information on HIV/AIDS. Some members in different ministries
in their parishes and others as individuals or working with other
denominations have been actively involved in providing prevention
strategies and looking after people who are infected and affected.
MAP international in April 2002 provided training in education
and integration of HIV/AIDS in the seminary curriculum.
There is still
a lot to be done in making clergy and laity knowledgeable on local
laws and practices regarding inheritance and imparting this information,
equipping the clergy to meet the expanding demands for pastoral
care in the Province.
The Anglican
Province in the Democratic Republic of Congo(Top)
The first
cases of HIV/AIDS in the Province were recognized as early as
1983, but information on its mode of transmission and on treatment
was vague. The war and the extreme poverty are two factors working
in synergy with one another to provide a situation which is open
to the propagation of HIV/AIDS. The Democratic Republic of Congo
had a very active HIV/AIDS board member the late Revd Basimaki
Byabasaija who was unfortunately killed by belligerents in the
Congo on his way to attend the Anglican consultative meeting in
Hong Kong. We hope that a replacement will be found in the shortest
time possible.
The war has
also made communication in the DRC very difficult, information
concerning HIV/AIDS activities from other dioceses in not available.
The Province however recognizes that the church is well placed
in the community to play a major role in reducing the pandemic.
In the Province,
Diocese of Boga is the center which has made most progress since
Boksburg 2001. Despite the many constraints in the area, activities
are taking place in a number of centers. At the church and community
level, awareness creation is conducted through seminars and personal
testimonies. Training of clergy and other leaders within the church
is another activity in the diocese. Youth groups have been formed
through inter - active seminars. The diocese has provided
a room which has facilitated privacy for testing and counseling.
Church
of the Province of Uganda(Top)
The Anglican
Church in Uganda has grown and expanded over the years and now
has the largest number of congregations and is spread to every
part of the country. There are 29 dioceses, 3,000 parishes and
more than 35, 000 congregations. The Church of Uganda was among
the very first institutions to get involved in the fight against
HIV and AIDS at the beginning of the 1990’s. Anglican bishops
and clergy can freely talk about sex and sexuality in relation
to HIV/AIDS. Some of the clergy and other Christians have formed
themselves into the friends of Canon Gideon Foundation -
Rev. Canon Gideon Byamugisha is a clergyman living with HIV and
a strong advocate in HIV and AIDS.
In 1992, the
church of Uganda through the Church Human Services created the
Church Human Services AIDS prevention program (CHUSA). The program
has thus far trained and sensitized about 800 church leaders at
diocesan level, trained 96 diocesan trainers in the five dioceses
- Bunyoro Kitara, Kampala, Lango, Mbale and Mityana -
and trained a total of 5702 across the 5 above mention dioceses
in community health education.
During the
month of July 2002, a training of trainers took place at the Uganda
Christian University to introduce an AIDS curriculum into the
theological institutions. A follow up training is planned for
next year.
Church
of the Province of Tanzania(Top)
The Anglican
church of Tanzania has initiated Anglican Youth Leaders National
forum, out of which Tanzania Anglican Youth association was revived,
leaders had an opportunity to learn about HIV/AIDS, discussed
and prepared action plans for each diocese. The forum also formed
a secretariat that is working on a strategic plan for the young
people in the time of HIV/AIDS challenges. The church has also
completed a Theological Education by extension module on HIV/AIDS;
a youth training module is under way.
A four year
annual training program is currently in progress to conduct awareness
training and equip all clergy to offer support in their communities.
In addition, thirteen out of the nineteen dioceses’ run
voluntary counseling and testing program and six dioceses run
Home based care program. Others are to be assisted under the provincial
Living with hope program to start similar activities.
The Province
has also commenced a program on Gender and HIV in response to
some of the issues that greatly affect families and especially
women at times of death and dying. The program is geared towards
initiating similar program in each diocese and enable them respond
in accordance to the environment and surrounding communities.
The Province
of Rwanda(Top)
The Peer HIV/AIDS
program started in May 2002 at provincial level, but dioceses
were already involved in AIDS activities. The programs goal is
to ensure prevention of HIV infections through breaking the silence
and to build a curing church that provides holistic AIDS care.
The provincial
office is developing a family focused ministry which will work
to support behavior change among all age groups. The CAPA AIDS
program is working closely with the provincial coordinator to
ensure that the program is a success and one of the areas to be
covered in the January 2003 skills building workshop is Family
focused care.
The
Province of Burundi(Top)
The Province
of Burundi was created in 1992 following the split of the Province
of Rwanda, Burundi and Boga Zaire. Most of the church activities
in the Province were intended to assist needy people with food
and shelter as well as preaching the good news of Christ. As a
result the young Province did not develop itself to set its role
as a central governing body of the whole Anglican Church in Burundi.
To date, there is no provincial HIV/AIDS coordinator in the Province,
due to some regarding diocesan AIDS projects as sufficient and
not seeing the relevance of a provincial AIDS coordinator. However,
the CAPA AIDS board member who is a provincial secretary participates
in AIDS initiatives in the Province.
This far,
most of the dioceses are aware of the All Africa AIDS initiative
and are initiating activities in line with the six call areas.
The church is also being supported by the government of Burundi
which declared a war on AIDS and has called all sectors of society
to respond by using their own strategies. The church of Burundi
being a member of CAPA has responded by using the All Africa AIDS
framework. Much still remains to be done in the Province, especially
enhancing their capacity at provincial level through the setting
up of an AIDS desk and appointment of a provincial AIDS coordinator.
The
Province of Indian Ocean(Top)
The Province
of Indian Ocean is one of the areas that has not been effectively
reached by the CAPA AIDS program. The Province has however initiated
AIDS activities as reported by the CAPA board member who is also
the provincial AIDS coordinator. Parents and youth are encouraged
to talk openly about AIDS in round table discussions hosted by
the provincial AIDS coordinator. The CAPA AIDS program will continue
to enhance the capacity of the Province as well as reinforce the
implementation of the All Africa Anglican AIDS initiative.
The
Province of West Africa(Top)
The Province
of West Africa is slowly picking up its pace in the All Africa
Anglican AIDS initiative. The appointment of a provincial AIDS
coordinator will ease the flow of information as well as enable
the full implementation of the six call areas. This far, the Province
has been providing AIDS awareness education for the clergy and
peer education for the youth.
The
Diocese of Egypt(Top)
The diocese
of Egypt is made up of North Africa, Ethiopia, Somalia, Eritrea
and Djibouti.
This remains to be one of the areas that the CAPA AIDS program
has not been able to fully penetrate. One outstanding problem
is the strong belief that AIDS is not a problem in the Diocese.
The CAPA AIDS program is currently in contact with the diocese
to find ways of introducing an AIDS desk. It was fortunate that
the diocesan secretary participated in the November 2002 Communicators
workshop and showed some interest in further deliberations in
AIDS work.
Analysis
of Provincial Activities(Top)
The Provinces
have endeavored to implement the six call areas as well as use
local human and financial resources to coordinate HIV activities.
Much still remains to be done and further analysis in this area
can only be done through provincial visits to verify on the reports
as well as identify areas that need support from the CAPA office.
(END)
