What Should the Church Do About HIV/AIDS?
The Brethren in Christ of Zimbabwe Face the Problem
by Doris Dube
In the past in Zimbabwe, when news of a death was shared the people often asked, "What happened? What was the cause?" Now they don't ask. Death has become so common, and yet, because of the times we are living in, it is better not to ask. That way the family is able to preserve some of its privacy and dignity. In the past, burials were only held on certain days of the week and only in the mornings. Now a visit to the cemeteries shows clusters of mourners here and others there. There are burials all day long. There are burials on every day of the week including Sunday. This has to be because the statistical information available to everyone is that about 3,000 people die of HIV-related ailments weekly in this country. There has never been an epidemic here which has taken so many away, and there has never been one that has lasted so long.
In Harare a burial plot which was meant to service the city for many years is half-full in less than half the time it was meant to be in use. In Bulawayo a cemetery which had its first burial less than four years ago is almost full. In all the big and small settlements countrywide, the earth is forever receiving the dead. In the rural areas villagers used to show respect for the dead by not working on the land during the funeral wake right up to the day of the burial. Now the people only break for the time of the burial; then life goes on as usual. In our culture we do not talk about cremations, but perhaps it is a language we must soon learn to speak.
Several months ago, the district Medical Officer for Gwanda, Dr. Iddolor, gave some sobering information to support the well-known information that 24.5 million people in the Sub-Sahara region are infected with HIV. In the hospitals 60%-70% of hospital beds are occupied by people living with HIV. On another occasion the Deputy Minister of Health, Dr. David Parirenyatwa, said 90% of the patients in most hospitals are HIV positive. Close to Mtshabezi at Gwanda hospital 33% of pregnant women are found to be HIV positive. The same standard of testing reveals that at Beit Breidge, a border town with South Africa, the infected group of pregnant women is 40%. In September statistics from Hwange, a mining town, revealed that 31.7 of all deaths recorded at the colliery hospital since January were AIDS-related. These and other figures in the local papers are a daily reminder that we are living in very difficult times.
The church had a slow start in the fight because HIV/AIDS was associated with promiscuity. Now many are realizing their mistakes and are doing all they can to correct this concept. The Brethren in Christ (BIC) church in Zimbabwe has been running an AIDS Education and Awareness Program since 1993. The center of activity is Mtshabezi District Hospital close to Gwanda town. The program has concentrated on four main areas.
There continues to be a great emphasis on Education and Awareness of HIV as a threat to humanity. Teaching is done whenever possible in gatherings of the youth, men, women, and schoolchildren. The estimated statistical information in the media shows that there are still many new infections, so teaching continues to be a priority. In the schools, the government has included the subject in the curriculum so that it should be taught in all relevant age groups. Both men and women slot this in their meetings. Youths who are school-leavers have clubs where they share information through games, quizzes, and drama. Plans are underway to equip the youth with self-help skills so that when they are orphaned they can start and then run Income-Generation Projects.
The hospitals country-wide can no longer cope with the large numbers of the sick in the hospitals, so many people are sent home to die. Their relatives care for them under the Home-Based Care Program. The backbone of this program is the body of volunteers who give their time to visit, encourage, and care for the sick at their homes. They walk long distances to visit all the patients under their care. Many times they take along a little food from their pantries because it is not good to visit a patient empty-handed. Through grants from both Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) and The Canadian International Development Agency, the Brethren in Christ church has been able to provide Health Care Kits to families of the sick, so that the level of care in the sickroom is improved and the caregivers don't risk cross-infection.
Orphans are a natural result of the pandemic. The church is currently collecting data so that we can have accurate figures about the orphans in our church constituency and so be able to plan how to care for them. Their needs include the payment of school fees, provision of uniforms, warm clothing in winter, and, in some cases, something to eat.
What has been affirmed by many people involved or in close contact with the situation is that when both parents have died, it is not good to separate the children by sharing them out to different relatives. It is recommended that they remain in the family home and that a relative moves in to care for them in a familiar environment. There are also some orphans who are school dropouts, but find themselves as heads of households when they, too, are minors who are not equipped to look after their siblings. Some of these have already been given training to prepare them to start Income-Generation Projects.
The people living with HIV/AIDS live among us. They need our care. Many need friendship and the assurance that their loved ones will be cared for after they are gone.
Every year the BIC church slots a program for Home and Family in its church calendar. This year a number of congregations used this as an opportunity to focus on HIV/AIDS-related issues. At Bulawayo Central Church the congregation invited Dumisani Nkomo, a Christian man who has been living with HIV for the past 10 years, to come and share with the church. Dumisani has made it his mission to warn the uninfected and encourage the sick to live positively. He spoke from the depth of his heart and many were challenged to get involved in the care and support of those who have succumbed to the sickness.
Even in the church very few families have escaped loss through HIV/AIDS. We continue to hope for an end to this suffering. For now we are going through the night. After night will come daytime and we will rejoice.
Doris Dube, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, is Africa Editor for Courier.
