Let’s think and act in this era of HIV

When people hear about HIV, all that comes into their mind is death, fear and rejection. Stigma and discrimination takes its roots and people tend to avoid the problem instead of confronting it. Instead of fighting HIV and AIDS, they fight people and this is the beginning of discrimination and violation of human rights.

The people living with HIV prefer secrecy and isolation to the risk of exposure, rejection and discrimination, causing many to remain cut off from information, treatment, care and support in their communities.

HIV and AIDS is a rare word spoken by both literate and illiterate people.

The ongoing disaster is far away compared to Rita, Wilma hurricane, earthquakes, hunger and floods.  A big silence as it engulfs, affecting people, shaking countries socio-economic sphere and bringing hopelessness. Globally 33.3 Million People are living with HIV and 7000 get infected everyday. How many people are living with HIV in your country? The men, women and children are not spared either!

Dealing with the challenge and reality of HIV,  promoting care and acceptance of those living positively and their involvement is not only a moral requirement for every one, but also an integral part of HIV and AIDS prevention, treatment, care and support. In Nepal, the majority of people who test positive are shy of publicly declaring their Sero-status and one of the ways to overcome fear is strengthening networks and institutions to provide platform for their support and ensuring everyone in the community have accurate information and informed about the importance of HIV test.

The involvement and interaction of religious leaders and people living with HIV can also reinforce the seriousness of the epidemic and inspire hope towards achieving Zero-HIV infections, Zero- deaths and Zero -discrimination.

 

 

The Evangelical Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Nepal has started to implement an HIV curriculum.

Accelerating response to HIV by equipping facilitators from Bible Schools in Nepal

Churches and faith based organisation are undoubtedly uniquely positioned to implement a holistic response to HIV and AIDS at community level. In Nepal at least there is a Church in 75 districts. Churches are becoming well established and demonstrating sustainability. It is therefore the call of the Church not only to provide spiritual nurturing but also to stand by people during any form of suffering, need, witness and strive against any form of injustice. We have a responsibility to call on the power and the word of God to offer compassion, reconciliation, prayer and hope to all people affected by HIV and AIDS. The priority is to have Churches work together to decide what common theological and ethical standards using the challenge posed by HIV as an opportunity for moral and spiritual growth, to care for one another, to support the living and the dying and appreciate the gift of life.

Equipping facilitators will enable them to share correct information on HIV and AIDS, challenge stigma and interpret the scripture as a guiding principles.

Bible School teachers training on HIV and AIDS (Facilitation skills on technical matters)

Witnessing to the Gospel require more than preaching, teaching and praying, as important as these actions are, it asks people of faith to be actively involved in bringing about the values that the Gospel stands for example love, compassion, care and solidarity with those that suffer. Presenting the Gospel as ambassadors for Christ may mean start with what we say, it continues with what we do and it ends with who we are!

Prayer: Let's pray that the loving God, him alone knows the end from the beginning to  lift up all HIV and AIDS patients from pain and grant them new hope. Pray for the families of the patients for protection, patience and strength.

Theological Institutions commitment to respond to HIV and AIDS in Nepal

In Nepal theological Institutions now embrace to respond to HIV. The HIV course was launched and a four day training of facilitators was conducted. The HIV course will be implemented in Believers Church Minor Seminar,  Kingdom Bible School, Shepherd Bible School, Nepal Methodist Theological Seminary, GFA Bible College, YWAM Frontier Mission, NKIC, Nepal Ebenezer Bible College and Evangelical Presbyterian Theological Seminary. The course content is about facts on HIV and AIDS, gender and sexuality, biblical perspective, church response, pastoral counseling and capacity enhancement.

The facilitators will teach the HIV course to prepare the students to mobilize churches and communities to respond to HIV. It was agreed that church can replace fear with hope, ignorance with knowledge, blame with respect and shame with dignity.

Facilitators from Bible schools and Micah network

Declaration of Commitment by Theological facilitators in 2013 during the training:

• We are committed to facilitate courses on HIV and AIDS in our colleges and churches.
• We will encourage our students to facilitate their churches to learn this material about HIV and AIDS.
• We will create a stigma free environment in the Bible schools by developing positive attitudes toward people living with HIV and AIDS.
• We will develop a network for facilitators of the HIV and AIDS curriculum to continue developing our skills.
• We will have at least an annual seminar on theological issues related to HIV and AIDS.
• We will add materials about HIV and AIDS to our college libraries.

Pray for:

• Justice – that there is an end to HIV stigma and discrimination

• Truth – that education effectively reaches those most at risk of contracting HIV so that

  they know how to avoid infection

• Hope – for scientists developing treatments and working towards a cure. And wisdom   

  for the doctors treating those living with HIV

• Love – that each of us shows Christ’s love and helps fight the spread of HIV and

  challenge HIV stigma

• Healing – that people live well with HIV developing their lives physically, spiritually

  and emotionally

• Faith – that those living with HIV know God’s love and peace

Hopeful.....

Children who courageously live positively

The estimated 13,000-plus children in Nepal who are already living with and affected by HIV. But to be an HIV-positive child is not nearly as dire as it once was. As we have been seeing with adults infected with the virus, controlling HIV in young patients has dramatically improved in recent years. Approximately a decade ago, a pediatric HIV diagnosis was associated with a dismal prognosis: most infected children would die before their fifth birthday. Today, thanks to early access to care and advances in HIV drug treatment, approximately half of all HIV-infected children will live to enter and graduate from school. And with more information quickly emerging with respect to how HIV-infected children should be treated, we can expect the success rate to improve significantly.

Caring for a child who is HIV positive comes with many challenges. We sincerely hope that the learnings will enable the health workers and communities better understand children and HIV, but also to enhance communication with pediatric health care providers.

Strengthening family's livelihood base would also reduce the impact of the epidemic. Children support for nutritious food, education ,access to treatment, emotional support and helping communities to care for sick and vulnerable children remain a priority.

Pray for children living positively during this winter season as we envision a world where children and families can live free of HIV infection and in which families that are affected by HIV and AIDS can live positively and productively without stigma and discrimination

Celebrating International Day of Persons with Disabilities in Nepal

It was a day well spent charting with Representatives from organizations working with people with special abilities. The event was happened in Kathmandu at World Trade Center. There was Career Expo for Persons with Disabilities. The discussions were about removing barrier to create an inclusive and accessible society for all. I saw different people with special abilities the blind, deaf and disabled and my heart was moved. The celebration was attended by Government officials, INGOS, lateral and bilateral agencies, NGOS and companies.

It was revealed that 2% of the total population in Nepal is reported to have some kind of disability. There are about 500,000 people with disabilities in Nepal and Still 90% of the them live below poverty line. The technical barrier hinders or keeps persons with disabilities from equal, active and effective participation. The barriers hinder access to employment, health and education. The good news was that Nepal is transforming and therefore the society begins to understand the issues surrounding people with disabilities. The Career Expo for Persons with Disabilities is an event that will promote employment opportunities for persons with disabilities in order to make them self dependent, productive and dignified citizens of Nepal.

Tihar Festivals in Nepal

Tihar Festivals in Nepal

The Nepalis celebrates Tihar that is the festival of lights which is one of the most dazzling of all Hindu festivals. In this festival they worship goddess Laxmi, the goddess of wealth. During the festival all the houses in the city and villages are decorated with lit oil lamps. Thus during the night the entire village or city looks like a sparkling diamond. This festival is celebrated in five days starting from the thirteenth day of the waning moon in October. In other words this festival is meant for life and prosperity.

Goddess Laxmi is the wife of almighty Lord Vishnu. She was formed from the ocean and she has all the wealth of the seas. She sits on a full-grown lotus and her steed is the owl. On the third day of the festival at the stroke of midnight she makes a world tour on her owl looking how she is worshipped.
There is a story, which tells why this revelry is celebrated so widely. Once there was a king who was living his last days of life. His astrologer had told him that a serpent would come and take his life away. The king did not want to die so he had asked the astrologer if there was any way to escape death. The king was advised to sleep with lit oil lamps all around his bed and decorate the palace with oil lamps on laxmi puja day. So goddess laxmi would talk to the serpent not to take his life. It did happen, the serpent was convinced by goddess laxmi. The serpent took the king to Yama Raj and told him that it was not yet the king's time to come to the underworld. So Yama Raj opened his ledger and in it the kings remaining age was written zero, but the serpent cleverly put seven before zero. Thus the king lived for seventy more years. So onwards tihar is widely celebrated worshipping the underworld and goddess laxmi.

The first day of tihar is known as 'Kag tihar', crows day. Crow is an underworld henchman. On this day crows are offered food on a plate made out of leaves in the morning before anyone in the house takes in food. In the kingdom of Nepal crow is not killed cause as a legend says that one crow had happened to drink the water of life. Thus you can see crows everywhere sitting without the fear of human beings. Crow the messenger of death is honored on the first day of tihar.

The second day is called 'Kukur tihar', dogs day. A dog plays many roles in Nepali society. The dogs are guardian of the house. As the legend also says that there is a dog at yama's gate guarding the gate to the underworld. The dog is also the steed of the fearful Bhairab, the god of destruction. So on this day a big red tika is put on a dog's forehead and a beautiful garland around the neck. After worshipping the dog, it is given a very delicious meal. This day the saying 'every dog has his day' comes true; for even a stray dog is looked upon with respect. People pray to the dog to guard their house as he guards the gate of the underworld and to divert destruction away from peoples homes. On this day you can see dogs running around with garlands on their neck.

The third day is the most important day of the festival. It is called 'Laxmi puja', The day when goddess of wealth is worshipped. On this day, early in the morning the cow is worshipped. Tika is put on her head and a garland around her neck then she feasts with delicious food. A cow also symbolizes wealth and she is the most holy animal for Hindus. The cow is also revered and worshipped as the representation of Laxmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity, by applying oil on its hoofs and horns and putting red and yellow marks on its body. Hindus consider not only cow's milk and milk-products, but also cow's urine and dung pious. Cow is the national animal of Nepal.

In the evening goddess laxmi is worshipped. Days before the house are cleansed and decorated. For goddess likes clean and tidy places. In the evening a small potion of the house out side the main door is painted red with red mud and an oil lamp is lit on it. A pathway is made from here to the place where the old money box and valuables are kept in the house that is the puja room. All the Nepalese have a box where from generation to generation money is put every year worshipping goddess laxmi. This money is never used unless extreme emergency. The entire house is decorated with lit oil lamps in every doors and windows. Laxmi, goddess of wealth is worshipped performing the traditional rituals and when the rituals are over then gambling in the house starts. This is a festival when gambling is not illegal. On this day throughout the evening groups of girls come to houses singing song of praise of the goddess and they are taken as guests and given gifts. This day the entire place is lively through out the night.

The fourth day is bit different. Today the things worshipped depend on specific cultural background. Normally most of the people perform 'Guru puja', ox worshipping. The ox is worshipped with tika, garland and then a delicious meal is fed to it. On the other hand people who follow lord Krishna perform 'Gobhardan puja'. These people build a small hill made out of cowdung and put some grass on it then do puja on it. This puja symbolises the act of lord Krishna when he lifted the gobhardan hill and saved millions of people and cows from floodwater.

If you belong to the Newar community, you perform 'Mha puja' which literally means worshipping yourself. The newar community people are worshipping life by doing puja on themselves. On this very day the newar New Year also starts. Nepal has many minor community calendars and newar calendar is one of them but the nation follows the Bikram Sambat calendar.

The last day of tihar is 'Bhai tika', putting tika on your brothers by your sisters. The royal astrologer gives the appropriate time to put the tika through the national radio a day before and the entire nation abides by it. Even his majesty receives tika from is sisters. When his majesty receives tika a thirty-one-gun salute is given to honour the function. At this moment the entire nation will be observing bhai tika. The main theme behind bhai tika is the sisters praying for their brother's long life from Yama Raj, god of the underworld.

The most exotic and dazzling festival comes to an end after these five magnificent days of worship and honor to the goddess laxmi and the underworld kingdom.

Pray for Christians in Nepal as they reach people during this celebration in Villages and Urban areas

Encouraging and fulfilling moments in Scotland…

The journey from Edinburgh to Kilmarnock and Inverness by train was enjoyable – seeing dramatic hills, green vegetation, flowing springs and amazing landscapes. I enjoyed meeting Church of Scotland congregations at Crosshouse, John Knox, St Andrews St.Columbus, St Kentigern’s, Fullarton, Ness Bank, Petty, Ardersier, Kirkhill, Crown, Barn, Drumnadrochit and Tomatin Breakfast Club. It was encouraging to share the progress of the Mission work including HIV and AIDS in Nepal.

My visit to schools and other community projects were encouraging and I enjoyed Alistair McDonald’s concert in John Knox Church, meeting with local voluntary groups’ representatives, talks with children in Schools and a football match between Scotland and Serbia (0-0).

I visited Blythswood Care at Evanton, spoke to staff and was impressed to learn how the organization mobilizes local resources to support physically and spiritually the needy people in Scotland and developing countries.

There was a Sexual Health Update day at Council Chambers Glenurquhart Road that was attended by Health Professionals and I had opportunity to share about the work supported by Church of Scotland in Nepal. According to the statistical data provided during the conference, UK has about 91,500 people living with HIV and AIDS.

I thank Ness Bank Guild, World Mission Council, Parish Ministers and the members of the church who provided accommodation, refreshments and vehicular facilitation.

It was exciting sailing to Loch Ness, a home of the ‘monster!’

Deputation was a wonderful experience for me! It was a time of great growth in my life. I thank God for the congregations’ prayers and support. Also, we want to thank the many faithful churches who have partnered with us so that we may move on to the next step of our ministry ensuring fullness of life in a transformed Nepali society.

 

Thank you and we wish you every blessing. 

By Joel, Agnes, Grace and Francis