Capacity building of church leaders

1. By
Evelyn Hungwe
CONNECT-ZIMBABWE

2. Background
 Congregants are dying of HIV and AIDS related
ailments against a background of denial, stigma
and discrimination which is rife in most
churches. Some churches are guided by
doctrines that believe , contraction of HIV is a
sin or is demonic . Those who contract HIV and
AIDS are therefore ,cursed and have little faith .
Some pregnant women are falling in the trap of
faith healing, therefore eroding Government
initiatives like PMTCT or PPTCT.
 Helen Jackson validates these assertions
when she wrote ,‟‟ we preach to them daily also
and bury them every day.‟‟

3. Description of context
 This necessitated CONNECT to embark
on a project to develop and capacity
build, through training 60 church leaders
in Systemic Pastoral HIV and AIDS
Counseling course, with the support of
RATN.
 Aim of project was to capacity build a
target group of church leaders to
design, implement, support, prevent, care
for and support mainstream HIV and AIDS
in the church context.
 Geographical coverage was Harare and
Manicaland.

4. Key interventions strategies
Participatory learning approaches like group
work, role plays, brain storming and
discussions were used as a teaching and
learning tool in training church leaders in HIV
and AIDS counseling in the church.
Mentorship during field visits enhanced
capacity building and support. Linkages were
facilitated to NFBCZ which created a
database of trained church leaders within the
network bodies to facilitate referrals of
congregants in need of counseling.
 Financial, human and material resources were
used in training, mentorship and field visits.

5. Evidence of success and
achievements
 Participants cascaded acquired counseling skills to
1800 lay- leaders, who also trained congregants at
lower church levels.
 Church congregants and communities benefited from
psychosocial support through counseling.
 Mainstreaming of HIV and AIDS programmes in all
church settings i.e. content and activities, unpacking
new roles for church leaders who have the capacity to
reach the majority, about 76 percent of Zimbabweans
go to church.
 Church leaders created psychosocial support teams
to fight HIV and AIDS from a biblical perspective in
the church.

6. Lessons Learnt
 It is possible to fight HIV and AIDS from a spiritual
and biblical perspective.
 NGOs have sidelined churches disseminating HIV
and AIDS information.
 In conducting sermons or preaching participants
resolved to refrain from verses or statements like
„‟the wages of sin is death” or “you reap what you
sow”, in the context of PLWHIV. This fuels justified
stigma and discrimination.
 Development of Apostolic Churches in Zimbabwe
(UDACIZA) participates proposed to engage sect
leaders to shift deep rooted practices in the church
such as polygamy, which fuel the spreading of HIV
and AIDS.

7. Lessons Learnt
 Absence of HIV and AIDS policies some
in some churches. If present they are
rendered ineffective by rigid church
doctrines and believe systems.
 Fragmentation of the different church
denominations in Zimbabwe impeded
NAC efforts to facilitate an effective and
therefore implement a national HIV and
AIDS policy in the church.
 Churches view HIV and AIDS as a
politico-socio economic issue therefore
have turned a blind eye, HIV issues not
openly discussed.

8. Recommendations
 The capacity building net must be cast wider
to reach out to female church grassroots
leaders like mother’s unions to empower
them as front-line actors in fighting HIV and
AIDS. Male dominance in church leadership
is a typical stereotype in Zimbabwe yet
majority of congregants are women,
 There is need to help church leaders to re-
define issues of spirituality verses HIV and
AIDS scientific reality, e.g. faith healing
verses ART in the long term facilitating
paradigm shifts in rigid church doctrine and
belief systems.
 Need for civic organization to effectively
engage the churches it fighting HIV and
AIDS.

9. Challenges experienced
• Issues of spirituality are sensitive and
therefore controversial. Entrenched issues of
spirituality conflict HIV and AIDS scientific
facts.
• Counter- strategies, employed include
exposing participates to increased factual
knowledge and awareness of HIV and AIDS.
Capacity building unpacking the need for
church leaders to offer holistic support to
congregants which include
social, emotional, cognitive and behavioral as
opposed to spiritual only. Therefore the critical
role of psychosocial support through

10. Conclusion ( why best practice for
replication
• By joining the band wagon of Government and civic
society in HIV and AIDS campaigns, churches will
facilitate change in society‟s
perception, attitudes, practices and therefore
behaviors related to HIV and AIDS.
• If churches are not effectively involved, gains realized
in mitigating the impact of HIV and AIDS will be
reversed or paralyzed like, the decrease of HIV
prevalence to 15,60% as of Jan 2011 , also donor and
Government funded initiatives which help to fight HIV
and AIDS like PPTCT, PMTCT, PITC and VCT
• Civic organizations are therefore challenged to
support churches in the fight against from spiritual
initiatives.

11. Conclusion ( why best practice
for replication)
• Majority of Zimbabwe are church goers .The
church and its leaders are well respected
.Their word is final and followed religiously. A
case was sighted of a medical doctor who
abandoned ARVSs to the detriment of his
heath in favour of faith healing. The church is
therefore a very powerful tool which can be
used to fight HIV and AIDS.
• The church must therefore be engaged as a
key stakeholder to spearhead the spirit to
fight against HIV and AIDS at all social levels
including family ,community, regional and
global.

12. Biblical text - Ecclesiastes 10:10)
“Usinga dull axe requires great strength, so
sharpen the blade. That‟s the value of
wisdom; it helps you succeed.”