Health

The global HIV/AIDS pandemic calls us to see health as a community issue, not an individual one. By the end of 2008, 25 million people had died of AIDS, 33.4 million were living with HIV, and an estimated 14 million had been orphaned. Over two-thirds of these people lived in the 24 poorest countries in the world.

Medical care is needed for individuals with HIV/AIDS, but for this work to be sustainable we also need to address the debt that impoverishes the most afflicted countries. Health includes the control that people have over their own lives and livelihoods. Income, food security, clean water, shelter, ecological well-being, gender roles, and access to health services are some factors that determine health. In other words, health and the global HIV/AIDS pandemic are issues of economic justice.

Information and Action

• Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance
  The United Church is part of the EAA, where it works with other churches and church agencies on HIV/AIDS. The "Live the Promise" campaign addresses root causes of vulnerability to HIV/AIDS, universal drug access, stigma and discrimination, and accountability and sufficient resources.
• Children's Resources on HIV/AIDS [RTF: 3 pp/78 KB]
  How do we talk about AIDS and HIV with children and young teens? This page provides ideas and suggests activities.
• Worship Resources
  A selected list of worship resources for use on the Sunday closest to World AIDS Day, December 1.

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Related Partners and Programs

The United Church works in partnership with organizations in Canada and around the world to address issues related to HIV/AIDS, including the following:

• Christian Council of Tanzania (Tanzania)
  Through the Positive Youth Alliance, the council provides a space where HIV-positive youth can discuss challenges, fight stigma, generate income, and educate other youth about prevention, testing, and treatment, and living “positively” with a sense of hope.
• Koinonia: Ecumenical Presence and Service (Brazil) (Portuguese-language website)
  Through its Health and Human Rights Program, Koinonia carries out education on HIV/AIDS in Brazilian churches and other faith communities and advocates for the rights of HIV-positive persons, particularly women and youth.
• Zi Teng Social Service Organization (Hong Kong)
  Zi Teng works with sex workers to protect their occupational health and safety regarding HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, defend their human and labour rights, and provide medical services.

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Conference Connections

United Church communities work on HIV/AIDS issues through a variety of initiatives at the local and regional level:

• Bay of Quinte
  Through its 2007 You to Youth Project, Bay of Quinte developed congregational resources and raised money for the Positive Youth Alliance in Tanzania.

For more information on initiatives in your local area, please contact your local Conference office.

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Background, Resources, and Links

• Interagency Coalition on AIDS and Development
  The United Church is a member of this Canadian coalition that works to lessen the spread and impact of HIV/AIDS in resource-poor communities and countries by providing leadership and active response.

For more information, contact:

• Wendy Gichuru
  Regional Coordinator, Africa and the Middle East
  Partners in Mission Unit
  Tel: 416-231-5931 or 1-800-268-3781 ext. 4038
  Fax: 416-231-3103
  E-mail: Wendy Gichuru