In a community where AIDS is still viewed as a death sentence, an Anglican priest is working to build an HIV-aware church.
The Rev. Rahab Wanjiru, 46, has the credibility to help dispel the dangerous silence that surrounds the virus and combines with stigma, discrimination and denial in Lamuria, a remote region about 120 miles from Nairobi.
That’s because Wanjiru has the virus herself.
“Every time I preach in church or speak to the community, I make sure that I teach something about the HIV/AIDS,” she said. “Most people here are ignorant about the virus, but I tell the congregations that there is much hope, even when one has HIV.”
About 1.6 million Kenyans are living with HIV in a population of about 42 million. About 900,000 are on anti-retroviral drugs, according to the National AIDS Control Council. Despite major progress, HIV/AIDS remains one of Kenya’s most significant public health challenges.
During World AIDS Day events Thursday (Dec. 1), Wanjiru gave her personal testimony at a gathering to mark the day in Nyeri, a city about 60 miles from Nairobi. In the afternoon, she visited HIV-infected orphans at the Kigumo Anglican Church in Nanyuki.
“She is an asset in the war against HIV,” said the Rev. Joseph Njakai, archdeacon of the Mweiga Archdeaconry in Lamuria. “She is very vocal and dedicated. Every time we are in clergy meetings, she speaks openly about the virus. Her disclosure has also made it easy for the other clergy to approach her to learn more about HIV.”
Wanjiru learned she had the virus in 1997, after struggling with chest pains for four years.
“I was shocked and devastated by the result,” she said. “I was bitter with God and wanted to ask him many questions.”
At that time, the world was still struggling to understand the virus and people with AIDS were dying very quickly.
“This left me more worried and confused. I believed I would live for only three years,” she said.
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SOURCE: Religion News Service
Fredrick Nzwili
BCNN1 WP 