HIV and AIDS
Objectives
- To provide capacity building on the Christian responsibility towards those living with HIV and AIDS.
- To affect policy changes to trade rules that governs access to medicines.
Activities (to achieve the Objectives)
- Conduct national workshops on HIV and AIDS focusing on compassion, counseling and pastoral care.
- Advocate for access to drugs and medicine for those living with the disease at regional and international levels. This includes doing research on the cost of drugs and medicine that will form the basis of the lobbying process.
- Build alliances and strengthen the prophetic witness of the church on compassion and justice. It would encompass identifying church leaders within the Pacific who can raise awareness and rally their people to be just and compassionate witnesses for those living with HIV and AIDS.
Programme Assessment
Performance
A church service was organized to celebrate World AIDS Day on 1 December 2009. The deputy General Secretary of the Methodist Church in Fiji and Rotuma was the chief guest and testimonies were heard from two Fiji citizens living positive with the disease.
A 3-year partnership agreement was signed in November 2009 between PCC and the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) for the PCC to conduct programs on:
- Prevention
- Care and support
- Leadership and enabling environment.
Relevance
Since no major activity has been conducted thus far, HIV and AIDS remains on the top of the agenda and will continue to be an important issue for advocacy and awareness for the member churches of the PCC.
Outcomes
In securing the funding agreement with SPC, the PCC would work closely with other governmental and civil society groups to lessen the risk of duplicating work already done by them.
Work Done Up to Date
- Encourage churches to include HIV and AIDS into their theological schools: Ongoing
- Advocate for access to drugs in Pacific Island countries and territories: Ongoing
- Coordinate Pacific Churches consortium on HIV and AIDS and provide internship for positive people: April 2010