Changes in the Church: Approaches to addressing HIV in Africa

I saved these articles and then never posted the post. We'll start with the bad news, and then progress to the good. My thoughts, in brief:

Re: this article: Burundi's Roman Catholic Church To Conduct Wedding Ceremonies Only For Couples Who Receive HIV Tests

Generally requiring tests prior to marriage is not 100% successful, although I am sure it may help some people. People pay for mock-ups of negative test results, whether they have tested positive or not tested at all. This technique does not engender trust in relationships, because both parties will want to prove that they are HIV- through whatever means possible.

Being negative prior to marriage is not a guarantee that one will remain negative, but with that slip of paper and that marriage certificate, one has all the 'proof' one needs to never address the subject again. A better approach to me would be one that encourages couples discussion, regarding a range of issues - trust, fidelity, HIV and STIs, children, marriage - the whole gamut of tough topics that are easily brushed aside because they are difficult to broach.

Unfortunately, the Catholic clergy assumes that because people say they believe, and 'beliefs' are a specific set of rules and commitments, that people follow these rules. (I just deleted a typo, 'fules,' which may be more accurate?)

Re: this article: African Religious Group Announces New Strategy To Fight HIV/AIDS, Meant To Replace ABC

This approach is a large step in the right direction. Here, we have a group that represents the population in question (African Network of Religious Leaders Living With or Personally Affected by HIV and AIDS, or ANERELA+) coming up with its own methods for fighting HIV/AIDS. Let's dispense with all the experts, technical assistance, and specific approaches required by acceptance of certain types of bilateral funding.

According to the article, "the strategy uses the acronym SAVE -- which stands for safer practices, available medications, voluntary counseling and testing and empowerment through education..."

Non-profit Christian Aid's objection to the ABC strategy (Abstinence, Be Faithful, use Condoms - which I find tricky simply because of lack of grammatical consistency) is that it "'is not well suited to the complexities of human life' and 'fuels stigma and precludes safer sexual practices' by placing people in one of the three categories. Christian Aid says that being faithful to one sexual partner does not automatically protect a person against HIV transmission and that condom users are not necessarily people who do not wish to abstain or be faithful."

Finally, a published recognition of the limitations of ABC.

During work in DR Congo, I was given a booklet that served as an HIV teaching tool, in which each of the three, A, B, and C, were portrayed as lifeboats. One chose the option that best served one's situation. In the newer edition which has come out in the past year, the image was updated to show two life rafts and a smaller dinghy.

You can guess which one was relegated to dinghy status.