Benin Churches Reach Out

Ria is a widow with three school-aged children. Her husband died of AIDS; she has the virus but still feels well. Culturally she would be expected to re-marry quickly, but the AIDS ministry staff at Bembereke Hospital advised her against it unless she would advise a prospective husband of her HIV status. As a result of her brave choice to remain single, she continues to live with her husband’s family. She is Muslim and doesn’t attend church, but the church reaches out to her and her children, helping with school tuition and Christmas gifts.

Martha Koetsier, a Netherlander who serves with the SIM and Beninese team at Bembereke, helps prepare church members for the work of compassion. She and her Beninese colleagues treat AIDS patients who live up to 100 km away from the hospital. They visit patients’ homes once a month; but after the illness becomes severe, that’s not enough. Due to the stigma of AIDS, the sufferers are often left to weaken and die alone.

Now members of nearby churches are visiting them often. Pastors sent selected church members to a course taught by Martha and Germain, a gifted Beninese colleague. They taught the volunteers about HIV/AIDS, emphasizing the importance of home visits and the opportunity to demonstrate Christ’s love. Now Ria proudly wears her Christmas-gift dress, and her children show off the gift beads they strung. This family, devastated by AIDS, has evidence that Someone cares about them.

Malawi Orphans Find Love

Julius grew hungrier and more ragged as his mother weakened and finally died of AIDS. And then he was an orphan. Julius represents children all across Africa. In Malawi, the church and SIM together are offering hope and help for those who are otherwise defenseless. Jean Whittaker from New Zealand works with pastors and their teams in the villages to feed and care for orphan children and elderly people, train adults for HIV/AIDS prevention, and teach principles of safe childbirth and prevention of diseases like malaria and diarrhea, which kill many children.

The famine raging across Malawi in recent months has again tested the capacity of the church in Malawi to meet needs in Christ’s name. The church has rented a field in each village where the widows can grow maize for next year’s feeding program and also for their own table. AIDS…hunger…and a Church with the power to make a difference!

Nigeria—Buckets for Widows

It takes only a handful. But one handful times 20,000—day after day—equals enough grain to feed neglected AIDS widows and their children. Christian women in Nigeria keep a clean plastic bucket beside their family cooking pot and drop in a handful of grain every time they cook. They empty their buckets at the monthly women’s meetings, and churches give the gathered grain to those who have no other support network.

The women received their buckets at the annual Women’s Conferences held throughout Nigeria. A graphic drama showed them how to discuss sexuality with their children; it was written and directed by Rose Akwai, a nurse and AIDS counselor at the Spring of Life center on the campus of Evangel Hospital in Jos. The buckets contained literature about preventing HIV and a copy of Growing Up, a book for teens adapted by SIMer Adena Wildman for the African context. See our story AIDS Widow and Orphan Bucket Project.

Ethiopia—Churches Unite Against AIDS

A big enemy (HIV/AIDS) calls out a huge and unified defense (the Church). Of the 70 million people in Ethiopia, 45 to 50 million (that’s five in seven) are affiliated with one of the three largest churches: Ethiopian Orthodox, Mekane Yesus, and the Ethiopian Kale Heywet Church (EKHC).

SIMer Dr. Tim Teusink reports that the three groups are beginning to share educational resources and training programs for the treatment and prevention of HIV/AIDS. He spoke last year to regional leaders of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church at their “AIDS and Theology” conference. He writes, “We are thankful for the vision and dedication of church leaders who are determined to halt the spread of this disease.”