The Anti-Aids Programme of the UEM
- Photo: Heiner Heine/UEM
Helping the people affected – overcoming discrimination
Over the past few years Aids has become one of the greatest challenges that the churches have ever faced. The effects of the pandemic are particularly noticeable in Asia and Africa, where the rate of infection is spectacularly high and hardly a week goes by without members of church congregations dying of Aids.
The churches see it as part of their mission to devote themselves to people in need, to break down structures of dependency and to empower people to live their lives in dignity within the community. The UEM wants to do far more than just »help the poor victims«. Rather we want to help those affected by Aids to break out of a passive victim’s role, and we want to bridge the gap between »them« and »us« that is so widespread. Those affected should not be morally judged and stigmatised, but rather have their place in the community just as everyone else does.
The main focus of the work of the UEM
The United Evangelical Mission has made Aids one of the main priorities of its work. In October 2000 the General Assembly declared the topic of HIV and Aids a main focus for the work of the UEM in the coming years. And the work carried out by the churches for many years has already paid off: in many African countries the number of infected people is decreasing slightly or stagnating.
The Anti-Aids Programme of the UEM concentrates particularly on six main fields of work: Staff training, ecumenical learning, theological work, fighting poverty, speaking up in public for the rights of those affected, and fundraising. These fields of work are described in detail in the UEM Anti-Aids Policy, which is the basis for this work (obtainable from the UEM).
The UEM Anti- Aids-Team has been at work for two years: Yvonne Kavuo and Emery Mpwate work as the UEM advisors in Africa, and Dr. Alphinus Kambodji in Asia, to support the churches there in setting up their Anti-Aids programmes.
Some of our member churches have set up model Anti-Aids programmes.
In the next two years special emphasis will be placed on:
- Training for staff members of the churches in Asia in the fields of management of Aids projects and communication, particularly also with young people.
- Visitation programmes between different churches in order that each church can learn about good programmes for their own work.
- Provision of antiretroviral drugs
- Workshops and further training on questions of practical theology (e.g. sermon and liturgy workshops) and theological reflection
- Active involvement of people living with HIV and Aids in the church programmes.
- Support for church youth work in their fight against HIV and Aids. Programmes for fighting poverty. In the fight against the spread of HIV and Aids the churches must work together and can learn from each other. The UEM supports the exchange of information and experience between the member churches in Germany, Africa and Asia. Anti-Aids-Projects
Support our programme
By supporting the Anti-Aids-Programme of the UEM you can help to prevent HIV and Aids from spreading further and help reduce the suffering of many people who have already fallen sick or are infected.
Partners of the UEM:
The UEM co-operates with other national and internation organsations, initiatives and campaigns such as:
Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance
The UEM is not responsible for the contents of other websites than its own.
Contact Person
- Diaconia and HIV
