Of the 22 million people living in Africa with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, the Ethiopian Ministry of Health reports that 3 million of those infected are in Ethiopia. But Ethiopian HIV-AIDS activists say those infected may be as many as 10 million.

According to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, one of the leading organizations in the campaign to halt the spread of the disease, thousands of people, including one of their deacons have been killed by the epidemic. The disease has also left a trail of an estimated 700,000 orphaned children.

Because of the shame that comes with carrying the disease in the African society, it is sometimes difficult to pinpoint to how people were infected. "More than 95 percent of AIDS carriers were infected through heterosexual sex . . . but when we try to find out from them how they were infected, they always claim that it was through an infected needle", says Dr. Simenesh Selassie, Health Coordinator for the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.

As in other parts of Africa, the spread of HIV-AIDS in Ethiopia is, but not always blamed on poverty, lack of education and armed conflict. Because of economic hardships caused by war and other factors in the country, many women make their living through prostitution. Many of their clients are married men who after being infected also in turn contaminate their wives.

At the forefront of the fight against HIV-AIDS are Ethiopian community based and religious organizations. One such organization is the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. Through holding public rallies, conducting youth workshops and publishing leaflets, they hope to raise an awareness about the threat of the epidemic. In addition, the church provides counseling and economic assistance to those already infected.

In their public awareness campaign, the church teaches abstinence from pre- marital sex. They also call on married people to remain faithful to their spouses. In addition, the church encourages parents to teach traditional moral and biblical values to their children. "As a church based organization, we can not tell people to use condoms," says Dr. Selassie. "We believe on the other hand that if people follow biblical teachings, it would make it easier to curb the spread of the pandemic," she adds. In literature published by other religious organizations, Christian and Muslim leaders agree with her, saying that "to be protected from AIDS, one must obey the laws of God."

Unlike religious organizations, Ethiopian community-based organizations along with the government advocate the use of condoms.

According to Dr. Selassie, The Ethiopian Orthodox Church is the largest Christian denomination in the country. It has 35,000 parishes, 400,000 priests and more than 35 million members. "The church has traditionally provided counseling to its parishioners. When it became evident that AIDS was becoming a national problem, we started training our priests to also provide AIDS counseling," says Dr. Selassie.

Church officials believe the people most at risk are youth groups. Youth seminars and workshops focusing on the "nature and magnitude" of the epidemic are being conducted. The church is also in the process of setting up youth centers to provide "information exchange and educational activities" through dramas, music, libraries and counseling.

Many of the people carrying the disease are often discriminated against once the community finds out that they are HIV-AIDS positive. Those working may also lose their employment. As a result, the Orthodox Church provides money and training for income generating activities to many of the victims. Some of the AIDS orphans also receive care from the church.

In its efforts to maximize its awareness campaign, the church recently joined forces with other religious organizations involved in the battle against HIV-AIDS. The other groups include Muslims, Evangelicals and Catholics. According to The Monitor, an Ethiopian daily newspaper, "a joint committee of various religious institutions was set up ... to further strengthen the efforts being exerted to curb the spread of HIV/AIDS in the country."

February 17, 2000

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