Voice of America - June 8, 2004
Michael Drudge
Nairobi

Protestant church leaders from across Africa are holding a four-day summit in Kenya on how they can help fight the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

C 2003 WHO/M. Shoul

Nonyameko Tshabalala, 38, suffers from TB and HIV. She is a patient at the Brooklyn Chest Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa.

The meeting has been organized by the All Africa Conference of Churches to mobilize the continent's clergy in the struggle against HIV and AIDS.

Kenyan Vice President Moody Awori told the churchmen they must help inform African youths about the risky sexual behaviors that increase the danger of contracting the fatal virus.

"Churches are well-placed in society to deal with the menace," he said. "Based on this understanding, I would like to call upon all churches committed to the good of mankind, to live up to their priestly and prophetic role of assuring that their flock maintain good health as well as spiritual well-being."

The president of the conference, Reverend Nyansanko-ni Nki, said that preaching against extra-marital and pre-marital sex must continue, but that message alone will not conquer the pandemic.

"The statistics are grim," said Reverend Nyansanko-ni Nki. "Half of Namibia's population may be killed by the year 2010. The citizenry of Lesotho may all be wiped out by the year 2025. In Zimbabwe, South Africa, and my own country, Cameroon, at least 600 people are infected by HIV/AIDS every day, making pastors these days more busy in burying the dead than engaging in evangelization."

Some delegates said they feel a sense of desperation when they contemplate the problems of poverty, war and sexual exploitation that has fueled the spread of the deadly disease across Africa. Reverend Forbes Matonga, of the Christian Care charity in Zimbabwe, says African leaders have much to answer for.

"The continent is faced with extinction," he said. "And it does not seem to realize [it]. I am disappointed with the way, not only African presidents, but even African bishops have reacted not only to HIV/AIDS but to everything that is going on the African continent."

About 40 percent of Africa's health-care facilities are church-operated, and the summit is exploring how to increase the capacity of those clinics and hospitals to treat HIV-infected patients. The meeting also will consider how the international community can more effectively support churches in battling the disease.

040608
VA040607

Copyright © 2004 - Voice of America. You are welcome to use any material that is published by voanews.com, or you may link to any of the web pages that Voice of America has published on the internet. There is no need to request further permission. Should you wish to establish a link to any VOA web pages, please send your request to pubaff@ibb.gov. We would appreciate that credit for any use of VOA material be given to voanews.com, Voice of America, or VOA, and we ask that you not abridge or edit any VOA material which you may use.

AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted grants from Boehringer Ingelheim, iMetrikus, Inc., the National Library of Medicine, and donations from users like you. Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2004. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.

AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.

Copyright ©1980, 2004. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .