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Widows And Orphans

Widows And Orphans. The Church’s Response. Presented to “American Evangelicals Respond to the Global AIDS Crisis” Meeting Washington DC, 11-12 JUNE 2003. BY BISHOP JOSHUA H.K. BANDA ZAMBIA . Current Zambian Scenario . 16% of Adult Population (15 to 49) is HIV +

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Widows And Orphans

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  1. Widows And Orphans The Church’s Response

  2. Presented to “American Evangelicals Respond to the Global AIDS Crisis” MeetingWashington DC, 11-12 JUNE 2003 BY BISHOP JOSHUA H.K. BANDA ZAMBIA

  3. Current Zambian Scenario • 16% of Adult Population (15 to 49) is HIV+ Infection rate is higher in women (18%, men-13%) [NAC Report 2003] • 73% of the population lives under the poverty line [SCOPE OVC Notes May 2002] • By the end of 2001, there were an estimated 570,000 AIDS orphans (ages 0 to 14) living in Zambia • % of AIDS orphans rose from 11.5% in 1990 to 65.4% in 2001 [UCSF AIDS Research Institute, USA]

  4. Current Zambian Scenario The vulnerability of widows is aggravated by long standing traditional practices such as: Sexual cleansing Wife inheritance Property grabbing

  5. GLOBAL ACTION: Need For the Hour “In the face of preventable death and suffering, we have a moral duty to act, and we are acting, ” President George Bush. [The White House-May 2003]

  6. Collaborative Church Response “The Church has a high blood count of creeds and an anemia of deeds,” Martin Luther King Jr. In a quest to be cured from this ‘anemia of deeds’ in the face of HIV/AIDS the church in Zambia has been engaged as follows: • 1984 – 1995: response mainly through church owned professional institutions (hospitals, schools) • 1994 -2003: growing congregation based response and interdenominational networking

  7. COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE The Church has more human capacity & social infrastructure than any other entity in Zambia. • More than 12,000 Points of Presence • More than 8 Million Believers Can andmustbe mobilized as vehicles for compassion to Widows & OVCs, thus conveying the love of God in the face of HIV/AIDS.

  8. Christian Council of Zambia Zambia Episcopal Conference Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia Other Churches Supporting Partnerships Organization Mission Prevention & Mitigation Love, Hope & CARE, Compassion Delivered Through . . . ECR HIV/AIDS TRUST - COMMON STRATEGY, ONE VOICE Community-Centric Churches Everywhere

  9. MANDATING OUR FUTURE OUR MISSION To Empower & Equip the Church to: Act with Compassion In Love and Care Dedicated to a Holistic Response to the HIV/AIDS Pandemic by Serving Our Communities

  10. VISION MANDATE DELIVERS: Education Awareness Acceptance Action Church Delivery System Widows & Orphans Palliative Care

  11. G L O B A L Expanded Church Response (ECR) Trust Denominational Associations Denomination CAPACITY + L I F E + Strategic Resources Strategic Framework N A T I O N A L Community Congregational Personal Commitment Capacity + L i f e + Empowerment Engagement C H U R C H Delivering on OUR VALUES Mandate

  12. Churches Para-Church Orgs Faith-Based Media Inter-Faith Partnerships International Partners Global Fund World Bank UN Agencies Bilaterals INGOs Local Partners Communities Government CBOs Nat’l NGOs WIDOWS & OVCs BY HIV/AIDS Partnering & Leveraging is KEY to success COLLABORATION MODEL

  13. ACTIONS ON THE GROUND… 2 GRASS-ROOT ACTIONS DELIVERING SERVICES TO OVCs AND WOMEN

  14. THE LAZARUS PROJECT A Partnership of Northmead Assembly of God Church,Crossroads Christian Communication, Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), and UNICEF Zambia.

  15. Lazarus Project Located in Lusaka with 2 residences for rescued Street children: • Chudleigh home (25 boys, 7-12 yrs) • Project Farm house (30 boys, 13-18 yrs)

  16. HIV/AIDS - The Greatest Orphan Maker In Africa • 75 000 Street kids in Zambia, More than 46% orphaned by AIDS

  17. Program Thrust • Outreach • Rehabilitation • Integration

  18. The Lazarus Name Inspired by Lazarus (below) who came to us in 1999 from a dysfunctional home with alcoholic parents, who have since 2001, died of AIDS Lazarus is now in school & making remarkable progress

  19. Impact 25 boys (7-12 yrs) sheltered & placed in School 30 boys sheltered at Lazarus Farm & engaged in skills training 13 boys graduated, assisted through micro-finance & integrated in society Reaching 150 boys each month through soup days Dec. 2002 – in partnership with UNICEF- targeted 500 house-holds with love packages

  20. FEMALE CARE-GIVERS EMPOWERMENT PROGRAM

  21. “OPERATION PASELI” Northmead Assembly of God Church Fighting HIV/AIDS by reaching out to ‘commercial sex workers and Widows

  22. BACKGROUND • Combined devastating impact of HIV/AIDS and escalating poverty levels (73%+) • Loss of Family Heads/ Key Providers • Households destabilized • Young girls (13yrs )and older girls (up to 30s) end up on streets – marketing their bodies (sex for money) • Dangerous exposure to HIV/AIDS infection

  23. MECHANISM USED • Vigorous awareness teachings from pulpit • Mobilization of church membership (male/female) • Two-fold thrust: • Went on street to personally talk to ‘commercial sex workers’ with a view to UNDERSTAND reasons for their lifestyle • Communicated concern & offeredassistance along withalternatives for income generating activities (IGAs)

  24. SHOCKING FACTS • Some girls on the streets selling their bodies for money on behalf of entire families • Others are employed by ‘pimps’ to whom they hand nightly ‘earnings’ • Still others –married –feel unprovided for and must feign for themselves, hence resort to street life (sex for cash)

  25. PHASE 1 • Shelter provision and inaugural skills training program • 4 resident girls under rehabilitation joined group of 26 widows and other vulnerable women in skills training course • 30 ladies successfully completed course and received micro-credit loans/ sewing machines for IGAs • Some have since testified that this is their first ever attempt towards honest and gainful activity in life

  26. PHASE 2 • Numerical Growth • Nov. 2002- graduated 46 former ‘commercial sex workers’ following rehabilitation • All showing strong commitment to a changed lifestyle • Current class enrolment – 80 persons • Training sessions- twice weekly – almost always 100% attendance • 1/3 of recently graduated group ‘recruited’ by peers (early entrants)

  27. Life skills, values of chastity, fidelity & fulfilled living Home Economics & Nutrition Tailoring & Design Making Tie & Dye materials HIV/AIDS & the dangers of high risk sexual life styles Counseling Interactive activities Starting a small business Budgeting Personal Hygiene Exposure visits Psycho-social support Catering course – to be offered soon Courses & Services 6 Months Duration

  28. OBSERVABLE IMPACTS • Clear reduction in #s of girls on Paseli street at night • Unique behavioral transformations • Evident value added to lives of participants • Enhanced personal responsibility ( restoring food security, etc.) • Proverbs 14:23 – “All hard work brings profit, but mere talk leads to poverty” • Stability of households restored

  29. KEY LESSONS There is more gain in seeing your local community as a Key Result Area of influence. Spirituality is a major factor of strength even in the face of gravest difficulty Availability of God’s grace: • –Titus 2:11 – “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “NO” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self- controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age.”

  30. KEY LESSONS • Every human being is capable of change once given: • Practical alternatives, spiritual guidance, moral and material support in an environment of love, care and hope. • Existence of ‘Reality Linkages’(RLs) can not be ignored

  31. Food insecurity Natural disasters Vulnerability to HIV/AIDS Internal Displacement WIDOWS & OVCs -a crisis within a crisis! Diverse HIV/AIDS impacts (on livelihood) KEY LESSONS Existence of Serious Reality Linkages

  32. KEY LESSONS • Our advocacy has included challenging local municipalities to enforcelegislated age limits for purchase of alcohol and relocating pubs far from residences and places of worship. • Sending children to purchase liquor is a violation of UNCRC “Protection Against Harmful Substances and Exploitation" in General: • “Children may not be used to do things that harm them…” • In “Operation Paseli”, this is prioritized as a major prevention tool. Observing Subtle Factors (RL)

  33. WAY FORWARD • Need institutional paradigm shifts at funding partnership levels to facilitate more strategic inclusion of Faith-Based practitioners at primary project planning stages • Continued Recognition & Empowerment of grass-root FBO’s that represent dynamic distinctives and complimentary diversities in respective Faith Communities

  34. WAY FORWARD CONT... • Resource allocation methodologiesneed seriousreview to enhance scaling up & replication of innovative FBO OVC care interventions, some of which may not seem to ‘fit the mold’ • Food and HIV/AIDS sectoral agencies must move beyondcourtesy cooperation to more practical, simplifiedand direct delivery strategies

  35. VIABILITY OF FBO RESPONSES • PRESENCE FACTOR • Wide distribution of FBOs’ Points of Presence (POP) within community: key to mobilization • Zambia = more than 12,000 POPs accounting for more than 8,000,000 of national population of nearly 10,000 persons • LONGEVITY FACTOR • FBOs are generally in the community on a life long commitment • Therefore, people develop trust in them as being more readily able to deliver services for WIDOWS/OVC support/care • HUMAN CAPACITY / INFRASTRUCTURE FACTOR • Members always available to avail themselves as volunteers for service delivery in WIDOWS/OVC care • Existing FBO infrastructure provides for ready channels of service delivery

  36. Call to Collaborative Action

  37. FAO IFAD WFP UNICEF UNAIDS Food agencies Food insecurity/OVC HIV/AIDS (vulnerability/impacts) WHO AIDS Agencies Govt/National AIDS Council Delivery partners CBOs FBOs NGOs “There remain gaping knowledge gaps and lack of operational collaboration between the agencies” (HDN –reducing the impacts of food insecurity and HIV/AIDS – a collective failure?) COLLABORATIONMODEL

  38. “We act, we win!” Former President DR Kenneth Kaunda-Zambia

  39. African Proverb . . . When you want to go fast, go alone. When you want to go far, go together.

  40. United WE STAND

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