News Briefs: November 23, 2006
UNAIDS report encourages HIV prevention programs targeting high-risk groups
According to the latest figures published Tuesday in the UNAIDS/WHO 2006 AIDS Epidemic Update, an estimated 39.5 million people are living with HIV. There were 4.3 million new infections in 2006, with 2.8 million (65%) of these occurring in sub-Saharan Africa.
The report highlights that levels of knowledge of safe sex and HIV remain low in many countries, as well as perception of personal risk. However, new data from the report show that increased HIV prevention programs that are focused and adapted to reach those most at risk of HIV infection are making inroads. Positive trends in young people's sexual behaviours—increased use of condoms, delay of sexual debut, and fewer sexual partners—have taken place over the past decade in many countries with generalized epidemics.
In both Mozambique and Zambia, CLWR, in partnership with the Lutheran World Federation's Department for World Service, supports programs that focus on HIV prevention. Drama groups are extremely effective at spreading this message because they meet young people where they are at—often performing in bars, market squares and other central locations where people will be drawn to their antics and hear their message. These public forums deliberately reach out to people who are unlikely to go to a training program in some training centre.
The 2006 AIDS Epidemic Update is available at www.unaids.org
- With files from UNAIDS
60th Anniversary celebration reminds us that people are the heart of CLWR
A 60th Anniversary reception, held November 17th in conjunction with the semi-annual board meeting, paid tribute to the countless number of people who have contributed to and been touched by the work of CLWR.
Bishop Don Sjoberg underscored the significant role CLWR played in refugee and relief operations. Quoting Dr. Rex Schneider, CLWR President in 1953, Sjoberg conveyed, “No other religious agency in the field of immigration today has completed the moving of so large a number of refugees to another continent with so small a group of workers and restricted budget.” Then, not unlike now, such accomplishments were possible because of dedicated staff and a supportive network of pastors and congregations.
Stories shared by guests were a highlight of the evening and a testament to a rich history of caring. The ripple effects of this caring were evident in the story of a woman who came to Canada as a refugee in the 1940s. She and her parents were met at the train station in Montreal by a Lutheran family who would welcome them into their home while they searched for a place of their own. In an act of love, the mother of the host family took off her mittens and placed them on her own daughter's hands, she then placed her daughter's mittens on the cold hands of the newly arrived six-year-old. Now, every Christmas, this woman knits 70 pairs of mittens that decorate a “mitten tree” in her church before being distributed to those in need in her community. What started as simple compassion continues to flow outwards in further acts of caring 60 years later.
- CLWR News Service
Two new international partners welcomed to the CLWR board of directors
International partners bring unique perspectives to board deliberations and contribute helpful insights that reflect the contexts in which CLWR works. Two new partners have commenced their first three-year term.
Rev. Patricia Cuyatti represents the church in Peru. Cuyatti is an ordained pastor in the Peruvian Lutheran Evangelical Church and most recently served a congregation in Lima. She is currently pursuing PhD studies at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.
Dr. Sasi Prabha Stanley represents the church in India. Prabha Stanley is the Deputy Director of Integrated Rural Development of Weaker Sections in India (also known as WIDA). She is responsible for the “out of work and into schools” program which combats exploitive child labour practices by re-integrating children into mainstream schools.
- CLWR News Service
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