RENASCE
ESPERANÇA
A STRATEGIC PLAN FOR HIV-AIDS
SUMMARY OF STRATEGIES
The REs HIV/AIDS policy will be the foundation for the next years HIV/
AIDS strategic plan. There are four main strategies as outlined below.
1- Prevention and control of HIV Transmission
1.1-
Promotion of primary and secondary sexual abstinence
and faithfulness in marriage.
1.2-
Addressing cultural practices and lifestyles, which
increase risk and transmission of HIV/ AIDS infection.
1.3-
Reaching out to
people who engage in sex with multiple partners (including commercial sex
workers)
1.4-
Prevention of parent to child transmission
2- Provision of care and support
2.1-
Provision of outreach voluntary testing services
2.2-
Promotion of voluntary counselling and testing
2.3-
Provision of care and support for people living with
and affected by HIV/ ADS.
3- Stigma reduction
3.1-
Education and training to empower all groups in the
Churches and communities.
3.2-
Reduction of stigma and discrimination against people
living with HIV/ AIDS
4- Advocacy
4.1-
Publication of REs HIV/ AIDS work in Churches and
communities
4.2-
Collaboration, networking and partnership
4.3-
Adherence to positive social and work ethics, values
and principles.
IMPLEMENTATION
STRATEGIES
1-
PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF HIV TRANSMISSION
1.1-
Promotion
of primary and secondary sexual abstinence and faithfulness in marriage.
1.1.1-
Training Sunday
School and confirmation class teachers in churches to teach Christian values and
activists in communities on sexuality, relationships, self-control and
self-esteem
1.1.2-
Teach and give sermons on family life education:
faithfulness in marriage, sexuality and sex, income generation skills and other
related topics
1.1.3-
Promote secondary sexual abstinence among married
couples who separate and unmarried persons who have once been sexually active
1.1.4-
Form activists groups to promote sexual abstinence
through innovative programmes and activities
1.2-
Addressing
cultural practices and lifestyles, which increase risk and transmission of HIV/
AIDS infection
1.2.1-
Identify
cultural practices and lifestyles that increase the risk of HIV transmission:
circumcision, Polygamy, wife sharing widow inheritance, forced early marriage,
alcohol and drug abuse
1.2.2-
Suggest alternative ways of living: Promote monogamy
and faithfulness
1.3-
Reaching
out to people who engage in sex with multiple partners (including commercial
sex workers)
1.3.1-
Form outreach
teams
1.3.2-
Identify commercial sex workers and their operating
bases
1.3.3-
Build relationship with commercial sex workers and
train them as counsellors to others.
1.3.4-
Network with organizations that rehabilitate commercial
sex workers
1.4- Prevention of parent to
child transmission
1.4.1-
Educate parents
on the risk of HIV infection to the unborn child
1.4.2-
Counsel affected families about care and coping
mechanisms
2.
PROVISION OF CARE AND SUPPORT
2.1- Provision of comprehensive pastoral
counselling services
2.1.1-
Training and equip pastors, Evangelists, local AIDS committees, people living
and affected by HIV/ AIDS with spiritual counselling skills
2.1.2-
Establish counselling centres, particular at communities and Church levels
2.2- Promotion of voluntary
counselling and testing
2.2.1- Sensitize
and encourage community and Church members to know about their HIV status
trough sermons, drama, testimonies, poems and other communicating methods
2.2.2-
Identify Voluntary Counselling Testing centres near
the congregation or community and make arrangements to refer persons to HIV
test
2.3- Provision of cares and support for people living with and affected
by HIV/AIDS
2.3.1- Identify and reach out
to people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS
2.3.2-Offer emotional and
spiritual support and continuing counselling
2.3.3-
Provide orphans with shelters, fees, clothes and
medical cares
2.3.4-
Promote economic empowerment to the affected families
2.3.5-
Train families and other care givers on home based
care and coping mechanisms
3- STIGMA REDUCTION
3.1- Education and training to empower all
groups in the churches and communities
3.1.1-
Offer education
on HIV/AIDS and its related issues
3.1.2-
Offer training in counselling skills and ethics
3.1.3-
Organize at least two workshops, either at national or
district level, to train community and church members interested in HIV/AIDS
work
3.1.4-
Deliver one sermon per moth on HIV/AIDS in each
congregation or Church
3.2-
Reduction
of stigma and discrimination against people living with and affected by
HIV/AIDS
3.2.1-
Break the
silence and provide the healing atmosphere in the church and community
3.2.2-
Preach sermons that create positive attitudes towards
people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA)
3.2.3-
Teach communities about HIV/AIDS
3.2.4-
Identify and involve People Living With HIV/AIDS in REs
AIDS programmes
3.2.5-
Educate community and church members on the use of
favourable and friendly language in reference to AIDS and People Living With HIV/AIDS
3.2.6-
Conduct home visits to People Living With HIV/AIDS,
giving them encouragement and hope
4. ADVOCACY
4.1- Publication
of REs HIV/AIDS work in Churches and communities
4.1.1-
Publicise REs’s
HIV/AIDS work in the existing media and periodic community and church meetings
4.1.2-
Explore, and, if feasible, introduce REs’s messages
through radio and TV programme
4.1.3-
Produce and
provide information and education brochures in AIDS
4.1.4-
Hold an
HIV/AIDS week to coincide with world AIDS Day
4.2-
Collaboration, networking and partnership
4.2.1-
Identify and
partner with organizations, groups, churches, government agencies,
non-governmental and community-based organizations
4.3- Adherence to
positive social and work ethics, values and principles
4.3.1-
Confidentiality
4.3.2-
Respect
4.3.3-
Integrity
4.3.4-
Accountability
and transparency
4.3.5-
Faithfulness and diligence