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Catholic
Committee on AIDS
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MAJOR
LESSONS
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Religious
Organisations and their Roles in AIDS Solution and Networking of
AIDS Organisations
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The
first case of AIDS was reported in 1984, after which more cases
have been reported. This prevalence has yielded serious social,
economic and spiritual aspects. Human values and dignity are affected,
causing so many problems, such as human rights violation, discrimination
and stigmatisation, abandonment, orphans whose parents died of AIDS
and affected children, while there are no organisations seriously
address this problem. Public sector, NGOs and popular sector still
cannot take control of the prevalence. The number of PLHAs who get
sick is on the rise while the number of orphans also increases.
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Religious
organisations have played essential role in the effort to address
AIDS problems in prevention and care of PLHAs.
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Religious
organisations can work closely with their target groups in all areas
and have access to local communities. Although AIDS problems are
complex with several dimensions that do not link separately with
physical, medical, public health and economic aspects, they are
crises of the whole living. These include change of basic understanding
on life, attitudes, values and behaviours in how to lead a life
in globalisation era, temptation of consumerism and scientific and
technological progress and modernisation. As religious faithful,
we have come to work on AIDS with commitment and faith in our religious
teachings. In this situation of alarming pandemic and impacts in
Thai society, we are aware of an urgent need for prevention and
care with the sense that we are all human fellows with dignity and
it is the role of all religious faithful to join their hands. The
work comprises various activities, such as care of HIV positive
adults and children, provision of counselling, education on prevention
of epidemic, policy-oriented advocacy, spirituality as driving power
in the work on AIDS in different dimensions that will most benefit
the target groups. Religious organisations work closely with people
living with HIV/AIDS because they believe that these people are
also human beings in society who have dignity and values. Yet, their
dignity and value are deprived due to AIDS, such as stigmatisation,
violation of rights, discrimination by state officials, etc. Networks
of people living with HIV/AIDS have the goal of developing quality
of life of PLHAs. Therefore, they can link well with religious organisations
because these organisations also work to help suffering human beings.
Their identity is love of fellow human beings. They understand these
people, are compassionate and promote quality of life and human
dignity. Human being is part of the nature of God and knows to admit
their mistakes.
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Potential
of religious organisations is their ability to deeply respond to
problems of people living with HIV/AIDS and take care of them. They
co-operate with these people in an equal term to promote and protect
life. Their work encompasses various dimensions of life.
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Faith-based
organisations, Buddhist, Christian and Muslim, are active in this
field and play essential role in addressing this problem. These
faith-based groups and organisations get involved because of their
religious beliefs to do prevention and care. Yet, public sector
does not really give recognition to these faith-based groups and
organisations, and do not give them support although these faith-based
organisations can approach PLHAs better. Therefore, they do not
have much link with one another. At present, these faith-based organisations
are in closer contacts. They have organised a form of inter-faith
dialogue on AIDS on 5-6 July 2003 at the Seminar and Training Centre,
Sukhothai Thammathirat University, Nondaburi, to share their experience
and come up with recommendations. The recommendations were then
presented to the Public Health Minister on the occasion of National
AIDS Conference on 7 July 2003. The recommendations include request
for co-operation between public sector and the network of faith-based
groups/organisations and other organisations to foster holistic
operation and mutual support. Our work on AIDS still lack information
on AIDS epidemics, pharmaceutical and medical development, medical
care and related state policies, as well as resources needed for
their operation.
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The
state should support the work on these faith-based organisations
involved in AIDS by initiating relevant and clear policies. People
with religious belief hope that the government will recognise the
significance and power of religious believers and faith-based organisations
in the work on AIDS directly done with people living with HIV and
AIDS patients, as well as allocating necessary financial resources
to support faith-based organisations working on AIDS. This will
helps lighten the burden of the government and supports genuine
participation of the people. The presentation of recommendations
by faith-based organisations was to advocate favourable state policies
with priorities on basic morality for prevention of HIV/AIDS.
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VCD
Information
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| Baan Sukruthai | |
| Spirit Consolator | |
| Suthasinee Foundation | |
| Baan Naboon | |
| Lorenzo Home | |
| Baan Mittrathorn | |
| Fatima Self-Help Centre | |
| AIDS network : Thai | |
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Health
Association Media
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© CHC
Address : 122/11 Nonsi
14 Rd, Yannawa, Bangkok 10120, Thailand Tel. / Fax. 66 2 681 5857
e-mail : chc@cbct.net
Update March 2011