Meeting the Challenge with God on our Side

Abstract

AbstractIn Southern African countries that are heavily affected by HIV and AIDS, churches play a significant role in the provision of medical treatment, prevention education, home‐based care, and orphan support services. Churches provide facilities, local leadership, volunteers and strong theological concepts that are consonant with local cultural values of neighbours helping each other. However, this foundation must be nurtured and extended to meet long‐term demands imposed by the HIV pandemic, as well as some of the underlying causes that promote the spread of HIV, e.g. poverty, alcoholism, and domestic violence. Volunteers, too, must receive training and support in order to provide quality‐based services and not burn out. This article draws on the Namibian experience to describe the development of church‐based services related to HIV and AIDS, and to cite lessons learned for the future.