It is clear that HIV/AIDS is one of the greatest development challenges for Africa, if not for the world at large. And it should therefore also be one of the greatest concerns for the Church, because the pandemic does not only affect people outside the Church. Prevalence rates outside the Church are in Botswana, the country we have been working in for the last 18 years, not significantly higher than in the Church. It is however striking that most prevention initiatives are guided and coordinated by (secular) governments and international donor organisations.
Yes, Churches do get involved in orphan care. Sometimes they are involved in treatment and in home based care. Of course we are compassionate! But one would expect that the Churches would also be in the lead when it comes to prevention through Behavioural Change. Are we not always talking about Behavioural Change? That people can change and do change! That they are more than mere animals who are driven by their hormones and their instincts! That they are created in the image of God with – to mention one aspect: common sense! That especially through the power of the Holy Spirit people can be renewed. That there is forgiveness for the sins in the past and that there is always forgiveness when people repent.
Yet, it is amazing that the Churches are keeping so quiet. Part of it is of course that a lot of people and even Christians still have this deep belief (at least in Africa) that HIV/AIDS is caused by witchcraft and not a matter of (sexual) behaviour. Another part is that Christians are divided about the way how to address this (sexual) behaviour. We like to talk about spiritual matters, but these kind of issues are still a kind of taboo. Maybe there is also a touch of liberalism in that: we are afraid to be “prescriptive”. Resources might also be a challenge: international organisations have for long been very hesitant to support Faith Based Organisations while neutral Adolescent Sexual Reproductive Health education programs were given huge support for edutainment and flimsy awareness campaigns.
There may be yet another reason: we are not equipped to address the massive scientific eloquence of the medical world. When the Pope on visit in Angola addressed the issue of condom use as part of the fight against HIV/AIDS, the whole medical world fell on him and the Lancet swept the floor with him and his arguments. And again I was embarrassed how few Christians reacted to that. It was only a prominent liberal scientist who has been promoting condoms in Africa through Harvard University partnerships with Africa for years, who dared to ask the question in the Washington Post (27 March 2009): But is the Pope not right? Is there any proof that the approach of the world, promoting condoms, a technical solution to a moral problem, is working? He was making very clear that statistically there is none. On the contrary! In his book “Rethinking AIDS Prevention” he shows that in countries where condom distribution is the highest, the rates are also the highest.
Again, the discussion was marginal. I have not seen any Christian leader take up the challenge and really make a point out of it. And the Development Partners (International organisations) have been very effective in silencing the discussion with their money power. I am wondering whether there are a lot of Churches in Africa who have heard of Edward Green’s article.
So I would like to throw the bone in the middle: what is the response of the Body of Christ to the challenge of the HIV/AIDS pandemic? How can we stop the spread of the epidemic? What successful Christian initiatives can we show to the world? Countries like Uganda have for years been mentioned as shining examples where Christian leaders made a difference. But again their results were always played down and it never became a massive movement that turned the tide in Africa! How are we going to help our young people to live holy lives (1 Thess. 4:7)? How are we going to curb the problem of Multiple Concurrent Partnerships and alcohol abuse that contribute so hugely to the rapid spread of HIV in Africa (and elsewhere)?
Let me share a little bit of my experience in Botswana. Botswana can be called a “Christian nation”: 84% of the population during the last census in 2001 openly stated that they were Christians. Of course there is also a lot of nominalism. But the fact remains: people are not shy to call themselves Christians. There are many Churches from very syncretistic African Instituted Churches to very fundamentalist Evangelical Churches. The Evangelical Churches constitute roundabout 20% of the Churches and they are quite well developed. Yet, Botswana is one of the worst affected countries in the world when it comes to the AIDS epidemic with a HIV prevalence rate of 17.1% in the general population in 2008.
In 2001 youth representatives of 37 different Churches in the remote District of Ghanzi came together and formed an interdenominational youth organisation to promote abstinence before and faithfulness in marriage through education, support and capacity building. Funding was in the beginning a great challenge. People were sceptic and even laughed about the initiative. But the bunch of local young Christians that ran the program kept on believing, praying and working.
Many young people changed their life and committed themselves to abstain or to be faithful and control themselves (ABC). The impact: during a general survey in 2008 the prevalence rate in the Ghanzi District had gone down since 2004 from 15.6% to 13.5%, while nationally the rate had still gone up from 17.5% to 17.6% (Botswana AIDS Impact Survey, III).
I am not saying that the True Love Waits program was the only contributor to this success. It was embedded in a holistic multi-sectoral approach that was coordinated by the local Government, but I am proud to say that these young Christians really made (and are making) a difference by their example and by their peer education.
It is an example of how cooperation of Churches and Christians can transform a community and turn the tide. When the remote District opened up because of a rapidly developing infrastructure (Trans-Kalahari Highway) everybody was fearing a surge in the prevalence rate. The Churches came together and responded! Their response was blessed!
What are we afraid of? Why are we so shy? We know we have the Answer! The Truth! God’s Word is the Truth! So how are we responding to the HIV/AIDS challenge as the Body of Christ? How are we going to turn the tide?
Rev. Jan Wessels
True Love Waits
Ghanzi – Botswana