After whipping up significant support from a number of churches in Anguilla, over the course of several weeks, aimed at reducing stigma and discrimination experienced by individuals and families infected and affected by HIV/AIDS, a Faith Leaders’ Symposium was held on Tuesday, February 25, at La Vue Conference Centre.
The event was part of an initiative called Project HOPE (Helping People to Elevate) funded by the Governor’s Office in collaboration with the Anguilla Community Action Network (ACAN) through the Ministry of Health and Social Development. The symposium had as its objectives the following: engaging church leaders in a discussion of the church’s role in the National Response to HIV; and developing a plan of action for mobilising churches around HIV issues.
Mr Kenneth Hodge, Principal Assistant Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs, chaired the opening ceremony. He noted that in today’s society persons struck by the disease were “often treated as outcasts, forcing them to hide even from family members out of fear or shame.” He went on: “It is likely that someone in your workplace or church is HIV positive and you don’t know it. Because Jesus loved, touched and cared for those who are sick, we must do so too… I would say to you that the global “HIV/AIDS pandemic is the church’s greatest opportunity to serve the hurting like Jesus did; to show God’s love for the skeptics, to share the good news and to extend a helping hand.”
Dr Bonnie Richardson-Lake, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Social Development, said in part: HIV/AIDS is a development problem. It is not simply a health problem. What this means is that HIV/AIDS is multi-faceted. It does not only have health implications, but social, economic, developmental, community – and I dare say global implications as well.
“This means that the response to HIV/AIDS has to be multi-faceted. The response cannot lie solely with Government, with the health sector or the public sector. Government, and particularly those in the health and social sectors, need the support and participation of faith-based organisations, community organisations and, in fact, all the players. We say here in Anguilla very often, because our economy is driven by tourism, that tourism is everybody’s business – but I will submit actually that HIV is everybody’s business.”
The Permanent Secretary pointed out that even if a small percentage of persons working in the tourism industry were infected by the disease, it would result in a cost – time away from work; a cost to the health sector; economic losses to a company – or even a decrease in the high-quality tourism product in Anguilla. “In any case, it would somehow hit us where it hurts,” she reasoned. “It would affect someone we love or care about. It would affect our wallet and many spheres of our lives, so I think HIV is really everybody’s business.”
She added: “Lately, the churches have really come on board to assist us in the fight against AIDS and I am really happy to have you on board.”
Mrs Kim Cutler, Project Officer at the Governor’s Office, told the Faith Leaders that their presence at the symposium was indicative of their desire to address the stigma surrounding HIV. “As Faith leaders, you continue to guide and comfort those who may be spiritually at a low point in their lives. You help countless people …and you are often a glimmer of hope for those suffering from economic hard times.”
She stressed that “the desire to fight oppression and discrimination is not a new idea. It has a clear and strong biblical foundation that should compel us all to work for the equitable treatment of our people.”
Mrs Cutler gave this admonition to the church representatives: “As Faith Leaders, reach out as did Jesus and made a difference in our community. Including HIV in your sermons will be a way you can raise awareness and show your leadership and commitment to eliminating stigma, discrimination and oppression. It will go a long way in the fight against HIV and AIDS.”
Pastor Dexter Welcome, of the Dominion Faith Centre and Chaplin of ACAN, took the opportunity to show how the church has addressed the HIV issue. He reflected that at one time pastors in his nativeland, Guyana, and elsewhere, preached that the disease was a curse from God and a gay man’s illness. “As time went on, we began to lose people in the church,” he stated. “I lost friends and loved ones. My wife lost first cousins to HIV and AIDS, and so I could not wait for God to give me an opportunity to address this illness. When I came to Anguilla and became a pastor, I decided I was going to use my platform to assist in the fight against HIV and AIDS.”
He said that over the years his church worked with Mrs Patricia Beard, the then Coordinator of the National AIDS Programme, and embarked on conferences and counselling sessions for members of the congregation about the disease. “As a pastor, I am concerned about their health, and so I talk to them on a regular basis on how to keep themselves safe and protected,” he stated. He observed that among the main matters to be dealt with was discrimination and stigmatisation experienced by persons infected and affected by the disease. He was pleased that a number of churches were working with ACAN and Project HOPE in this area of concern.
Pastor Welcome urged his fellow pastors to recognise that there was a cause for the involvement of the church. “There is indeed a cause. ‘Goliath’ is out there, and he wants to destroy our children and young people – and if you look at the bigger picture, our future is hinged on our youth,” he admonished them.
The opening ceremony was followed by a number of presentations and group discussions. In addition to Pastor Welcome, the presenters were Mrs Maeza Demis-Adams, Director of the National AIDS Programme, who gave an overview of the National Response; Mrs Patricia Beard, the former Director who gave examples of mobilising the church around HIV issues in Anguilla; Mrs Ronya Foy-Connor, Coordinator of Gender Development, whose presentation was on Gender and HIV; and Mrs Vanessa Connor of the Dominion Faith Centre, who led the group work.
