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HIV and AIDS Treatment Literacy workshops

EPN is convinced that religious leaders have a key role to play to educate and support their communities in regards to HIV treatment issues. After conducting starting points analysis research to gauge the level of understanding of church leaders and Church Health Services (CHSs) to HIV/AIDS treatment literacy, EPN recognized a need to conduct HIV and AIDS treatment literacy workshops for church leaders.

The first treatment literacy workshop, which was convened in collaboration with the Ecumenical HIV and AIDS Initiative in Africa (EHAIA), was held in Nairobi, Kenya from 23rd – 27th January 2006. The objective of the workshop was to enhance the knowledge and capacity of church leaders in Africa to deal with HIV and AIDS treatment, related organizational management issues as well as the challenges of making the HIV and AIDS drugs available through the church networks.The workshop was not geared at medically qualified personnel but to church leaders and sought to address themes and questions such as:

  • What do we mean by HIV and AIDS treatment literacy?
  • Why is treatment literacy in HIV and AIDS important?
  • What are ARVs and how do they work?
  • Do churches have a role to play in treatment?
  • How can church leaders help the members of their congregations deal with treatment related issues and problems?
  • How can church health facilities participate fully in implementation of ARV programmes?

More details can be viewed in the icon HIV Treatment literacy workshop report PDF (284.18 kB)

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Given the success of the HIV and AIDS Treatment Literacy Workshop held in January 2006, several more workshops were organized:

  • Nairobi, Kenya: 13th - 18th November 2006
  • Addis Ababa, Ethopia: 10th - 14th October 2008
  • Yaounde, Cameroun: 20th - 24th January 2009
  • Bafoussam, Cameroun: 26th -28th January 2009
  • Batouri, Cameroun: 27th - 29th April 2009
  • Yokadouma, Cameroun: 10th - 11th December 2009
Contact us for more information on these workshops.

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Treatment Literacy Courses on request 

Following the recent publication of the HIV and AIDS Treatment Literacy Guide for Church Leaders, EPN decided to offer its Treatment Literacy Courses for Church Leaders on invitation from any church or other groups. 

As a church leader, it is possible to influence outcomes. This training course aims to introduce church leaders to some of the skills they can use and the ways that they can influence outcomes through: 

  • encouraging the church to have and implement good policies
  • working with local church hospitals
  • acceptance and support of those on treatment, including children
  • encouraging understanding of treatment issues
  • increasing treatment-seeking behaviour
  • taking the message to communities 

To successfully achieve these things, a church leader needs to have some understanding of: 

  • the key messages around treatment for HIV and AIDS
  • what AIDS treatment means for the church and how this might change policies 

Click here to download the course information leaflet icon (683.67 kB) or contact us for more information.

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June 2004: AACC HIV/AIDS Summit research

The All Africa Conference of Churches convened an HIV/AIDS Summit for Heads of African Churches in Nairobi, Kenya, from 7th–10th June 2004. EPN was invited to survey the attendees (100 church leaders from 39 African countries) regarding their knowledge and understanding of HIV/AIDS, and the approaches of their churches to HIV/AIDS and its treatment.

EPN conducted a survey during the first two days of the meeting and then presented results to the meeting for discussion on the final day.

Please download:

 

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International AIDS Conference

2010, Austria

In 2010, the XVIII International AIDS conference was held in Vienna, Austria, from 18th to 23rd July.

More information can be found on http://www.aids2010.org/

2008, Mexico

During the XVII International AIDS conference held in Mexico City, EPN was represented by the then HIV consultant.

More information can be found on http://www.aids2008.org/

2006, Canada

The XVI International AIDS conference was held in Toronto, Canada from 13th -18th August 2006. EPN was represented at the conference by the coordinator and a board member.

The coordinator, Eva Ombaka, participated in the Ecumenical pre-conference from 10th – 12th as part coordinator for one of the streams and on Monday 14th she was part of a team organized by Bread for the World (BfdW) that ran a skills building workshop on treatment literacy. Jane Masiga, an EPN board member, also participated in the main conference and presented a paper on Challenges of Scale-up and Local Distribution in the session: “Supplying a Lifeline: Delivering Quality, Affordable Medicines and Supplies to People Living with and Affected by HIV/AIDS.”

More information can be found on  http://www.aids2006.org/

 

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Starting point analysis research

From the original programme design paper, several activities were identified as the focus of the first phase, the starting point analysis project.

Project manual 

Developing the starting point analysis project manual included the development and testing of key methodologies and tools so as to have a manual that allows efficient and effective 'roll-out' of the EPN HIV programme in other countries. The manual has been fully tested in Kenya, Rwanda and Burkina Faso.

Below you can download some tools: 

Starting point analyses  

  • From May to June 2004, a Kenyan-based study was carried out. Work included a desk review, 12 focus groups, 21 priority interviews, and 23 open-ended interviews. Locations included: Nairobi (inner and outer rural areas), Kitui, and Maua.
  • From June to July 2004, a starting point analysis research was carried out in Rwanda. Work included a desk review, 10 focus groups, 9 priority interviews, and 9 open-ended interviews. Locations included: Kigali, Ruhengeri, Kibungo, Rutongo and Gitarama. 
  • In 2004, EPN also organized a brief desk review of material available at an international level on HIV/AIDS, with a particular reference to ART/ARVs, and a survey of church leaders attending the Heads of African Churches Summit on HIV/AIDS in June 2004. 
  • In June 2005, a Burkina Faso–based study was carried out. Work included a desk review, 10 focus groups, and 26 key informant interviews. The study took place at locations across Burkina Faso: Ouagadougou, Bobo-Dioulasso, Koudougou, and Yako.   

Contact us for more information and reports on these studies. 

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Feedback meetings

In February 2005 a feedback meeting was organized in Nairobi, Kenya and in Kigali, Rwanda. The results of research undertaken in the summer of 2004 to identify starting points was fed back to group of people from churches, church health services, NGOs, and government organisations. The meeting aimed to develop ideas and commitments to interventions that can be made in the future to increase access to ARVs through the church health services and with the support of the churches. Furthermore, Africa-focused results and recommendations for future activities for the international church community were developed based on the 2004 desk review and survey at international level.

Contact us for more information and reports on these meetings.  

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HIV and AIDS Treatment Literacy Guide

In March 2010, Ecumenical Pharmaceutical Network (EPN) published its HIV and AIDS Treatment Literacy Guide for Church Leaders.  

The 132 page book provides powerful insights on how church leaders can take up advocacy issues in matters of antiretroviral treatment-which are a life prolonging intervention for people living with HIV - and to deal with stigma and discrimination in the church. 


The guide with a foreword by Archbishop Desmond Tutu is loaded with key care and treatment messages on the role church leaders can play in advocacy and community mobilization and contains also exercises that help the church leader better understand the content and engage the congregation.     

Retired Archbishop Dr. Benjamin Nzimbi of the Anglican Church of Kenya, who officiated at the function held during the 2010 EPN Forum in Nairobi, Kenya on 18th -19th March 2010, reiterated the fact that the issue of HIV and AIDS continued to be a taboo subject especially in the church quotas and that most church leaders were still ignorant on the matters of HIV and AIDS care and treatment. He commended the book as a must read for every church leader who wants to address the issue of stigma and discrimination  in the church and learn how to care for those infected and affected by the disease. He also said that church leaders need to understand the issues of faith healing, stating that many church leaders have lead many people into stopping their ARV treatment.

The book is available both in French and English, at a price of 10 USD. For more information about this book contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it   

Click here to download the icon TL reorder slip (283.5 kB) to order your copy of the manual.

Contact us for more information on Treatment literacy courses for church leaders. 

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