Tuesday, December 6, 2016

POSTCARDS: ANGLICAN PRIEST IN RURAL KENYA WORKS TO CHANGE PERCEPTIONS ABOUT HIV/AIDS

From Kenya-

In a community where AIDS is still viewed as a death sentence, an Anglican priest is working to build an HIV-aware church.

Rev Rahab Wanjiru, 46, has the credibility to help dispel the dangerous silence that surrounds the virus and combines with stigma, discrimination and denial in Lamuria, a remote region about 193 kilomtres from Nairobi.


That’s because Rev Wanjiru has the virus herself.

“Every time I preach in church or speak to the community, I make sure that I teach something about the HIV/AIDS,” she said. “Most people here are ignorant about the virus, but I tell the congregations that there is much hope, even when one has HIV.”

About 1.6 million Kenyans are living with HIV in a population of about 42 million. About 900,000 are on anti-retroviral drugs, according to the National AIDS Control Council. Despite major progress, HIV/AIDS remains one of Kenya's most significant public health challenges.


More here-

https://www.sightmagazine.com.au/columns/postcards/6766-postcards-anglican-priest-in-rural-kenya-works-to-change-perceptions-about-hiv-aids

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