PACSA
confronts HIV/AIDS, gender issues and poverty
 The
Pietermaritzburg Agency for Christian Social Awareness
(PACSA) held a Conference in February 2004 focusing
on community-based experiences of the HIV/AIDS
epidemic and its two most prominent cross-cutting
challenges: gender inequality and poverty. Practitioners
from various sectors shared their lessons around
their work in these areas, both professionally
and personally, and the gathering agreed to intensify
a call from civil society for stronger partnerships
between FBOs and national as well as local government
structures.
All the presentations were impressive. One in
particular, given by Sister Florina Ncgobo, outlined
the comprehensive range of services offered by
the Edendale HIV/AIDS Drop-in Centre to assist
infected and affected communities. This includes:
• regular medical check-ups, treatment,
nutritional guidance and hygiene awareness for
opportunistic infections
• home-based care and income-generation
promotion in communities
• facilitating support for orphans, child-headed
households and other vulnerable children in
terms of schooling and shelter
• psycho-social support to provide a sense
of hope and decrease the fear, loneliness and
stress associated with HIV infection and illness
• ongoing individual counselling along
with co-ordination of support groups and workshops
for social workers, FBOs and staff at schools.
The key conclusions drawn from the sessions centred
on the need to draw more men into the problem
of women’s vulnerability to HIV and AIDS,
the importance of networking to secure resources
and to avoid duplicating efforts, the provision
of accurate awareness information and the allocation
funds to where they are most needed.
PACSA’s Director, Daniela Gennrich, assured
those present that the Agency would take these
responses forward and advocate vigorously for
stronger civil society mobilisation in order to
communicate clear “off-the-ground”
messages to State departments. The over-arching
theme of these messages would be that every sector’s
commitment should be summoned to help HIV-negative
citizens remain uninfected, and to campaign forcefully
for Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) services
and other interventions for every community, wherever
its location.
“We must get beyond the sadness, the pain
and the anger,” she said. “Let us
focus on proactive projects and get government
to take HIV/AIDS seriously, and above all, we
must be unified in our fight against this epidemic.”
PACSA is distributing copies of a handbook for
churches, entitled “The Church in an HIV-positive
World” and containing useful practical information
for anyone wishing to assist people living with
HIV and AIDS. To obtain this handbook and for
other enquiries, telephone PACSA on (033) 345
0052 or e-mail loul@pacsa.org.za
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