Woman_HIV
Women and HIV/AIDS: The Coptic Mission’s Commitment to Empowerment
The 2005 UNAIDS Report estimated that 39 million people are living with HIV/AIDS globally. The number is disproportionably concentrated in Africa where this region inhabited by only 10% of the world’s population carries 63% of the world’s HIV/AIDS infections. This percentage translates to an astounding 24.7 million individuals. It is also estimated that 58% are women. African Women represent a population of individuals whose social, economic and cultural positions often place them at more risk for infection.
Women are the sustainers of life. Throughout Africa, women are the sustainers and in some case the main providers for household economies. They are also the bearers and perpetuators of human life. So much depends upon the health and livelihood of African women.
The Coptic Orthodox Mission is an active facilitator of female empowerment throughout the communities it serves. With integrated activities in the different areas of spiritual and humanitarian development work, the Coptic Mission recognizes the strength and irreplaceable importance of women in the household and in the community at large.
The Coptic Mission has developed a number of female-focused initiatives that aim to facilitate change in cultural perceptions that often limit their ability to exert their full potential.
It is proven that education investments made in women improve child survival and health. The Coptic Mission has committed itself to also make these investments through the capacity development and skills building of women in medical initiatives throughout some of the most remote areas in Africa. By teaching women how to deliver home based care and to become HIV/AIDS community educators and equipping them with the tools to deliver these community health services, Coptic has witnessed the transformed image that women carry in their communities. They deliver care to those who are bedridden, refer them to centers for appropriate care and treatment, and counsel individuals on the many issues surrounding HIV prevention, testing, disclosure and acceptance.
For women who are HIV-positive, the Coptic Mission has developed programs integrated in the clinical services of the Hope Center as well as social service initiatives to cater to their specific needs. To ensure that all women who are receiving care at Hope, Coptic initiated PMTCT, antenatal and delivery program to ensure that expecting mothers can give birth in a safe, sanitary environment with access to the appropriate treatment to ensure the protection of their babies during the delivery and early stages of life. The women are also provided with free cervical cancer screenings for the regular screening and early detection of this treatable illness. Healthier, stronger women and mothers directly translate into the health and strength of the family.
In many of the rural communities in Kenya, Zambia and the Congo, the Mission has also established income-generating activities for women to be more empowered economically so that their livelihood will not be dependant upon the potentially unhealthy demands or conditions of their partners. We want to see women empowered so that they are able to provide for themselves and their children and create an environment for their families that are free from abuse, neglect and stigma.
We have also been making strides to involve men in our initiatives that empower women. As part of the spiritual development activities of the Church, Coptic has established couples meetings where men and women can discuss the challenges they face in their relationships. They discuss and challenge gender dynamics, communication barriers and issues of health and sexuality and domestic abuse in light of individual needs, human rights and biblical principles to strengthen the relationships they share.
The Coptic Mission is committed to see the sustained empowerment of the women in Africa and will continue to work for this goal, not only by directly serving the women but also affect positive change in their communities, which is the environmental context in which the women exist. Coptic sees the special gifting and roles in which women hold in the future of the world and therefore is committed to enabling them to fulfill their God-given potential.
