World AIDS Day
Our common fight U.S. & Colombian Lutherans
work against the spread of HIV By Andrea DeGroot-Nesdahl
F
or the last eight years, Eduardo Martinez has fought the good fight for HIV/AIDS prevention and aware- ness.
Before he became bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Colombia, Martinez coordinated its HIV/ AIDS response. At times he’s encountered prejudice and inaccurate information—even among pastors and church leaders. But he and others are working hard to inform pas- tors and all those who help to spread accurate information about the disease around the world.
I first met Martinez at a July 2010 consultation in Lima, Peru. That event gathered the ELCA’s Latin Ameri- can companions to discuss how they’re reducing stigma and discrimination, while developing resources and strategies that combat the spread of HIV/AIDS. This past May, Martinez and his wife, Yamile Varon, also visited the ELCA offices in Chicago, where I work with the ELCA Malaria Campaign (www.
elca.org/malaria) and HIV/ AIDS strategy (www.elca. org/aids).
In the U.S., approxi- mately 1.2 million people live with HIV/AIDS. In Colombia, about 160,000 people live with the disease, accord- ing to the CIA World Fact- book. Behind these numbers are the same concerns:
people who suf-
Colombian Lutheran Bishop Eduardo Marti- nez and his wife, Yamile Varon, work with U.S. and Latin American partners to fight HIV/AIDS.
38 The Lutheran •
www.thelutheran.org
Dec. 1 is recognized as World AIDS Day. Many people use the day to raise awareness, remember those who have died from the disease and celebrate progress in the fight against HIV/ AIDS. Visit www.
elca.org/aids to learn more.
fer, families stretched thin as they provide care, and the way poverty and a lack of affordable medica- tion contribute to the risk and vulnerability of our populations. The ELCA and the Colombian church have a great deal in common as they respond to the HIV/AIDS pandemic in their countries. Both also share the bonds of faith and a common hope to sustain and unite us. Martinez said Colombian Lutherans are:
• Increasing the number of HIV/AIDS staff, which speaks to the importance and priority of this work. • Working on HIV/AIDS issues ecumenically and nation- ally. (The ELCA is also trying to do this, especially with its full-communion partner churches.) • Sponsoring “Walking Together,” a program that offers information, assistance and the warmth of human friendship to people living with HIV and their families. ASIVIDA, as it’s known in Colombia, provides psycho- logical counseling and small-group opportunities for people with HIV/AIDS, significant others, family mem- bers and parishioners. Recently, ASIVIDA was invited to represent religious entities on the coordinating committee of the Colombian government’s Ministry of Social Protec- tion.
Several years ago I visited Colombia while serving as the South Dakota Synod bishop. In one small community, I met Esperanza or “Hope,” whose ministry was visiting elderly and shut-in people—those who couldn’t come to church. She walked down streets and up steep hillsides to bring whatever help and comfort she could on behalf of her faith community, in the name of Jesus. That image of Hope walking is one I still carry.
Martinez and his wife are also walking hope—espe- cially to those who are HIV-positive—through their com- mitted leadership and depth of understanding about the disease. Colombia’s Lutheran church is a key leader in the region as we unite to fight a common source of suffering.
DeGroot-Nesdahl is coordinator for the ELCA Malaria Campaign and HIV/AIDS strategy.
PHOTODISC
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