In AIDS Battle, PSI Builds Bridges to Religious Leaders

This piece explores the work of Population Services International (PSI), whose strategy for preventing AIDS worldwide involves building bridges with the religious leaders of the communities and countries in which its programmes operate. PSI has observed that religious leaders often have an influential role in shaping opinions, attitudes, and behaviours; for that reason, PSI seeks to engage them in the struggle to reverse the course of the AIDS epidemic. Because condom promotion is often part of HIV/AIDS prevention messages, PSI has sometimes had to correct the misconception that the organisation promotes promiscuity. In reality, PSI urges abstinence and fidelity foremost - forming partnerships with religious leaders helps support those messages.

The article provides examples of work based on strategies developed and tested out in collaboration with Muslim, Christian, and Buddhist leaders in West Africa, Zambia, and Laos. The aim of these workshops, conferences, and discussion sessions is to help these religious leaders see that they can and should play a positive role in the fight against the spread of HIV/AIDS - and to show them how. To cite only one example, PSI created and conducts a series of workshops to address public health issues with Muslim religious leaders in Guinea, Cameroon, Chad, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, and Niger. The workshops are designed to address the fact that Muslim religious leaders in these countries tend to have insufficient information about HIV/AIDS and the scale of the epidemic in their country. (Government and non-governmental partners who might provide support are impeded by insufficient financial and technical resources to address HIV/AIDS). Further, discussion about sexuality between parents and children is often taboo, and young women generally do not propose condom use to their partners because of mistrust or fear of being seen as promiscuous. If provided with sufficient information, religious leaders might have an important communication role to play in this context, PSI thinks.

Specifically, PSI/Guinea Deputy Director Thierno Oumar Diallo, himself a practicing Moslem, starts these workshops by presenting facts about HIV/AIDS so that the leaders understand that everyone is vulnerable - even them. According to this article, "Diallo, often dressed in resplendent traditional West African garb, quotes from the Koran to justify preventive health practices and gives condom demonstrations. Banners with sayings from the Koran and other Islamic sources hang in the halls."

The workshops are designed to maximise active involvement by all participants, who may include government representatives and the media as well as religious leaders. PSI states that government participation reinforces the collaborative aspect of PSI programmes and emphasises the importance of the workshops. The news media are often invited for at least part of the workshop; PSI hopes that their coverage of the sessions will encourage open discussion of the issues. Questions are posed so that participants may discuss and debate them, and draw conclusions. Educational films are shown covering topics such as living positively with HIV and work done with religious leaders. Different types of behaviour change are discussed; condom use is openly identified as a key prevention strategy. At the end of the session, each participant prepares a plan to articulate his role and specific actions to promote HIV/AIDS prevention in his community. A group declaration is signed by all in attendance, and a set of resolutions is adopted that expresses the commitment to be actively involved in the prevention of HIV/AIDS and the care of those affected.

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