National Mirror
Called to Witness
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Date: Wed, Apr 07, 2010
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Papers, Publications & Reports
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MANAGING HIV/AIDS AS A CROSS CUTTING ISSUE
Author(s): Rev Fr Vincent Wambugu, Secretary General, Kenya Episcopal Conference - Catholic Secretariat
Language: English
Abstract
In the year 2003 when the KEC – Catholic Secretariat undertook to prepare its strategic plan for the years 2004 – 2008, it was clearly seen that there was a necessity to manage the HIV/AIDS Epidemic in a more cross cutting manner as it impacted on the lives of people in a multiplicity of ways. Though primarily a health issue, HIV/AIDS was noted to also impact extensively on economic issues - such as poverty and productivity; on education, social development, lives of children, family and several other areas of life.
A serious attempt to address this cross cutting aspect of the epidemic was made with a inter-commission task force being set up to look into modalities of effecting this. This taskforce made several recommendations including the need to ensure that various aspects of HIV/AIDS were captured in the various Commissions with the KEC- Catholic Health Commission providing technical back up to the other Commissions.
The KEC- Catholic Justice & Peace Commission was to pick up issues related to justice, access to drugs, as well as address the impact of issues likely to fuel the spread of HIV such as wars, displacement of persons due to conflicts etc; the Education Commission picked up training of youth in school on abstinence, delay of the sexual debut among school children, access of orphans to schooling; the Caritas Social development Commission started rolling out income generating activities for PLWAS especially women in order to address the increasing poverty arising from chronic illness and loss of capacity to earn sufficient income to keep house holds running; the Social Communications Commission took up the challenge of continuing to create awareness among the people as well as educating and updating the public on new developments and therapies; the Pastoral and Lay Apostolate Commission continued its youth related programs either directly or through special projects such as Education for Life which empower young people to make life affirming and intelligent choices for themselves.
It was this task force on cross cutting issues which prepared the ground for the institution of Kenya Catholic HIV/AIDS Taskforce (K-CHAT) as a technical advisory think tank for the Kenya Episcopal Conference, which was commissioned during the plenary assembly of the Kenya Episcopal Conference in November 2006. K-CHAT brought together several Catholic Organizations who are major players or have a special interest in HIV/AIDS with the Secretary General as Chairman. I wish to thank all those in K-CHAT, both organizations and individuals for a job well done.
The meeting of AMECEA (Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa) in Kampala, Uganda in 2005 bringing together Episcopal Conferences of Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Sudan, Malawi and Zambia, had HIV/AIDS as the main agenda.
The AMECEA Bishops agreed that every Conference rolls out the recommendations and picks up its priorities in the area of HIV/AIDS for the next three years (till the next AMECEA meeting in Zambia in 2008). Consequently, the Kenya Episcopal Conference chose the following priority areas of development.
1. Leadership Commitment by organizing workshops for all Church leaders, clergy, Religious and Lay Leaders for training capacity and awareness of HIV/AIDS. The KEC undertook to encourage more Lay participation in HIV/AID activities for prevention of infection, care for those affected, and training of more counselors.
2. Advocacy enhancement by working out National HIV/AIDS policy for the Catholic Church and pushing for enhancement of laws /legal framework to protect hose infected and affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
3. Resource Mobilization by working out common partnerships at Local, National and International levels.
KEC mandated the Kenya Catholic Secretariat to execute these priorities. Significant progress in the three areas of concern has been made; and with the assistance of K-CHAT, managed to come up with the Kenya Catholic HIV/AIDS Policy ‘This We Teach and Do’ which is now ready for launching.
Other achievements include the rolling out of projects to provide Anti-Retroviral Therapy to over 30,000 persons and PMTCT programs to over 100,000 expectant mothers. A lot still remains to be done. This requires the Collaboration of all stakeholders and indeed we all are.
As we celebrate 20 years of intensive commitment to stopping the spread of HIV/AIDS, we wish to call upon all persons of good will to work closely with the Catholic Church to help roll out assistance in all areas to reach out to more needy people.
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