H
ERE IN ZAMBIA, DECLARED A CHRISTIAN NATION, THE CHURCH IS A STRONG VOICE. In the presence of HIV and AIDS, the message is often of prayer versus anti-retroviral therapy (ART) treatment, and abstinence versus condom use. An ethic of care is
stifled by the view that HIV and illness derive from sin. The church has often been a stumbling block to HIV and AIDS prevention. Nevertheless, there are a few trail-blazing church leaders who are making waves to change the tide of HIV and AIDS and the role of the church in this effort. This is the story of one such individual.
In November, at an Annual Partner’s Meeting (APM)
held by the Southern African Aids Trust, I had the pleasure of meeting Pastor Jabez Zulu. If any story is worth telling, it’s his. He practises (and preaches) the very behaviour needed to curb the spread of HIV and AIDS and build the kind of society that allows HIV positive people to live well and free from discrimination. He stood in front of an audience of about 150 people
and told a deeply personal and moving story about his experience with HIV and AIDS. He had fallen in love with a young woman, Elita Phiri who, shortly after the start of their courtship, was raped and contracted HIV. The couple kept the rape and HIV a secret from family and friends for fear of stigma and isolation. They married, and for a few years were happy and healthy. Unfortunately they sought no treatment until a few years later, when Elita fell extremely ill with AIDS. At that time, he encouraged her to seek treatment. He reached out to his family and to fellow church leaders for support, only to be given the crushing response that the best thing for him to do would be to end the relationship. He loved her and chose otherwise. A few years later, he was tested and discovered that he too was HIV positive. Hearing him speak nearly brought me to tears, not
of pity, but of pride that he and his wife were able to survive together despite so much adversity, and that they
managed to go on to be a force for change in Zambia. Pastor Zulu’s story is remarkable in several ways. First, he chose not to leave his wife in isolation to cope alone with her acquired illness. Second, as a church leader, he encourages antiretroviral therapy (ART) as an individual choice, and one that should not be condemned by the church. And third, he openly practises and widely encourages multiple modes of prevention – treatment, consistent condom use, and male circumcision. Zambia has a growing generation of youth, many of
whom are living positively. They will need the support of the community and the church to live well and to make healthy choices. In her closing remarks at the APM, Hester Musandu, Deputy Executive Director of the Southern African Aids Trust, congratulated Pastor Zulu for promoting the kind of practice needed to ‘make the environment safe for the next generation living positively – to live and love and live a healthy normal life”.
Pastor Zulu is a part of an organization called Inerela+: Positive Faith in Action.
www.inerela.org
Tina Langdon is a resource mobilization officer with an
organization called the HIV and AIDS Prevention Network in Zambia.
iAM March 2011 21
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43