By
Evelyn Hungwe
CONNECT-ZIMBABWE
Background
Congregants are dying of HIV and AIDS related
ailments against a background of denial, stigma and
discrimination which is rife in most churches. Some
churches are guided by doctrines that believe ,
contraction of HIV is a sin or is demonic . Those
who contract HIV and AIDS are therefore ,cursed
and have little faith . Some pregnant women are
falling in the trap of faith healing, therefore eroding
Government initiatives like PMTCT or PPTCT.
 Helen Jackson validates these assertions when she
wrote ,’’ we preach to them daily also and bury
them every day.’’

Description of context



This necessitated CONNECT to embark on a
project to develop and capacity build, through
training 60 church leaders in Systemic
Pastoral HIV and AIDS Counseling course,
with the support of RATN.
Aim of project was to capacity build a target
group of church leaders to design, implement,
support, prevent, care for and support
mainstream HIV and AIDS in the church
context.
Geographical coverage was Harare and
Manicaland.
Key interventions strategies
Participatory learning approaches like group work,
role plays, brain storming and discussions were
used as a teaching and learning tool in training
church leaders in HIV and AIDS counseling in the
church. Mentorship during field visits enhanced
capacity building and support. Linkages were
facilitated to NFBCZ which created a database of
trained church leaders within the network bodies
to facilitate referrals of congregants in need of
counseling.
 Financial, human and material resources were used
in training, mentorship and field visits.
Evidence of success and achievements




Participants cascaded acquired counseling skills to 1800
lay- leaders, who also trained congregants at lower church
levels.
Church congregants and communities benefited from
psychosocial support through counseling.
Mainstreaming of HIV and AIDS programmes in all church
settings i.e. content and activities, unpacking new roles for
church leaders who have the capacity to reach the majority,
about 76 percent of Zimbabweans go to church.
Church leaders created psychosocial support teams to
fight HIV and AIDS from a biblical perspective in the
church.
Lessons Learnt




It is possible to fight HIV and AIDS from a spiritual and
biblical perspective.
NGOs have sidelined churches disseminating HIV and
AIDS information.
In conducting sermons or preaching participants
resolved to refrain from verses or statements like ‘’the
wages of sin is death” or “you reap what you sow”, in the
context of PLWHIV. This fuels justified stigma and
discrimination.
Development of Apostolic Churches in Zimbabwe
(UDACIZA) participates proposed to engage sect
leaders to shift deep rooted practices in the church such
as polygamy, which fuel the spreading of HIV and AIDS.
Lessons Learnt
Absence of HIV and AIDS policies some in
some churches. If present they are rendered
ineffective by rigid church doctrines and
believe systems.
 Fragmentation of the different church
denominations in Zimbabwe impeded NAC
efforts to facilitate an effective and therefore
implement a national HIV and AIDS policy in
the church.
 Churches view HIV and AIDS as a politicosocio economic issue therefore have turned
a blind eye, HIV issues not openly discussed.

Recommendations
The capacity building net must be cast wider to
reach out to female church grassroots leaders
like mother’s unions to empower them as frontline actors in fighting HIV and AIDS. Male
dominance in church leadership is a typical
stereotype in Zimbabwe yet majority of
congregants are women,
 There is need to help church leaders to re-define
issues of spirituality verses HIV and AIDS
scientific reality, e.g. faith healing verses ART in
the long term facilitating paradigm shifts in rigid
church doctrine and belief systems.
 Need for civic organization to effectively engage
the churches it fighting HIV and AIDS.

Challenges experienced
Issues of spirituality are sensitive and therefore
controversial. Entrenched issues of spirituality
conflict HIV and AIDS scientific facts.
• Counter- strategies, employed include exposing
participates to increased factual knowledge and
awareness of HIV and AIDS. Capacity building
unpacking the need for church leaders to offer
holistic support to congregants which include
social, emotional, cognitive and behavioral as
opposed to spiritual only. Therefore the critical
role of psychosocial support through counseling to
congregants who include PLWHIV was realized.
•
Conclusion ( why best practice for
replication
•
•
•
By joining the band wagon of Government and civic society
in HIV and AIDS campaigns, churches will facilitate change
in society’s perception, attitudes, practices and therefore
behaviors related to HIV and AIDS.
If churches are not effectively involved, gains realized in
mitigating the impact of HIV and AIDS will be reversed or
paralyzed like, the decrease of HIV prevalence to 15,60% as
of Jan 2011 , also donor and Government funded
initiatives which help to fight HIV and AIDS like PPTCT,
PMTCT, PITC and VCT
Civic organizations are therefore challenged to support
churches in the fight against from spiritual initiatives.
Conclusion ( why best practice for
replication)
•
•
Majority of Zimbabwe are church goers .The
church and its leaders are well respected .Their
word is final and followed religiously. A case was
sighted of a medical doctor who abandoned
ARVSs to the detriment of his heath in favour of
faith healing.The church is therefore a very
powerful tool which can be used to fight HIV and
AIDS.
The church must therefore be engaged as a key
stakeholder to spearhead the spirit to fight
against HIV and AIDS at all social levels including
family ,community, regional and global.
Biblical text - Ecclesiastes 10:10)
“Using
a dull axe requires great strength, so
sharpen the blade. That’s the value of wisdom; it
helps you succeed.”