Religion is a powerful force in human society, with churches, mosques, and temples serving as central institutions in the spiritual, social, educational, and cultural lives of their communities. Religious leaders and institutions provide guidance and support to millions of people worldwide. At the heart of the world’s major religions is the tenet that people of faith show compassion to those who need help, including the sick, the weak, and the poor.
Faith-based organizations (FBOs) have taken increasing responsibility for designing and managing HIV/AIDS prevention, care, support, and treatment interventions. In many AIDS-affected regions of the developing world, particularly in rural areas, FBOs serve as the primary and sometimes the only providers of HIV/AIDS services. Their unique and indispensable role in the global battle against the epidemic is widely recognized by governments, international public health agencies, donors, and the medical community.
Since 1991, Family Health International (FHI) has collaborated with dozens of FBOs on community-based AIDS programs. These programs have involved religious leaders in strategic program planning, educated home-based care providers, facilitated creation of services for children affected by and infected with HIV, applied assessment methodologies and other kinds of research to determine community needs, strengthened FBO networks within and across countries, and trained peer educators to reach youth, community members, and others at risk. These partnerships, based on acceptance of the FBOs’ values and moral strictures, forge effective program approaches that respect the community’s religious beliefs and cultural sensibilities.
In Cambodia, the Buddhist monks of Wat Kien Kes Temple have devoted themselves to AIDS education, care, and support activities in their community. With technical support from USAID’s Implementing AIDS Prevention and Care (IMPACT) Project, the monks and members of a volunteer network based at the temple assessed community needs and created programs to provide people living with HIV/AIDS, orphans, and vulnerable children with counseling, vocational training, and income-generation opportunities. FHI also helped the temple’s volunteer network strengthen program management and community mobilization programs, including educational campaigns to reduce the widespread stigma that isolates individuals and families affected by AIDS.
In India, St. Paul’s Trust in Samolkot and Peddapuram provides clinical care, offers nutritional support to children and families, and coordinates income-generating activities for people living with HIV/AIDS. Combating stigma within the community is extremely important to the success of care and support activities. In Africa, IMPACT collaborates with many FBOs involved in care and support programming for families, orphans, and vulnerable children, including home-based care. In Côte d’Ivoire, IMPACT has provided funding to Hope Worldwide to mobilize neighborhoods in Abidjan to support families and children affected by HIV, especially the children of people living with HIV/AIDS.