HIV&AIDS
The international EMS Fellowship has identified HIV&AIDS as a priority issue. This means that our active solidarity helps people infected with HIV&AIDS to live with this illness which is stigmatised world-wide. In concrete terms, this means:
- Providing co-workers and partners with more information to increase their awareness of the problem.
- Promoting voluntary counselling and testing, and supporting HIV-positive people within the EMS fellowship.
- Anchoring HIV&AIDS as a cross-cutting task within the EMS Fellowship by means of projects (i.e. Masangane), workshops and theological exchange as well as measures to increase awareness in order to prevent new infections.
- Raising our commitment to advocacy and lobbying activities
EMS is a member of the German Action against AIDS (Aktionsbündnis gegen AIDS). Under the motto “Life is a human right”, the German Action is calling for the German government and the pharmaceutical industry to make a reasonable contribution in the struggle against HIV&AIDS.
The CHALLENGE
World-wide there are more than 33 million people presently living with HIV&AIDS.Only 30% of those infected have access to antiretroviral medication, not to mention adequate medical treatment. Many people still do not know how to protect themselves against infection.
EMS fellowship is committed
- to striving for the human dignity and human rights of people infected and affected by HIV&AIDS
- to reducing the stigmatisation and discrimination which add to the suffering of these people
- to promoting open discussions about HIV&AIDS within the EMS Fellowship and to lobby for those infected
- to striving for a just community of men and women, i.e. to overcome gender inequality within our churches and to involve men in HIV&AIDS work in particular.
