Around the world, religious leaders are working with communities suffering
from AIDS, but still have more to do to overcome their public reputation as
overly moralizing. While some churches set up VCT centers next door to their
sanctuaries, other religious leaders have turned HIV+ persons away at their
doorsteps.

Momora Gilbert, a young pastor from Malawi who is part of the African
Network of HIV + and AIDS Affected religious leaders (ANERELA +), has
received multiple trainings from the church, and now he reaches out to young
people about HIV, putting a human face to the virus.

“Youth come to the church and ask questions,” said Gilbert. “They encourage
me and I encourage them. When young people start to talk about AIDS, they
talk about themselves because they realize they are the most vulnerable and
that prevention is vital to them.”

The religious community is well-represented at the International AIDS
Conference, but youth and faith-based organizations still need a bit of help
reaching out to each other.

Leading the way, Mark Hanson, Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America (ELCA), stopped by the “Commitments Desk” at the Youth
Pavilion. The ELCA sponsored 12 young people to come to this year’s IAC, and
Hanson committed to bring more to next conference in Mexico. He also
committed to include young people in the development of the ELCA AIDS
strategy.

“Youth and young adults are leading the church in HIV and AIDS, and we are
following their lead,” said Hanson. “Young people want to be part of a
community where faith and spirituality matter, and they want to be part of a
faith community doing advocacy around poverty and discrimination.”

Taking a different approach, Phrama Boonchuay, the Director of Chiang Mai
Buddhist College, educates young people about living simply. “In Thailand,
in Buddhism, we educate our youth about consumerism. We have to convince
them about sexual education, and we also talk about consumption of food,
clothes and medicine.”

Addressing misinterpretations of what the church and young people can do is
important, says Rev. Jape Heath, General Secretary of ANERELA+.

“One of the major problems we have had with youth from the faith-based
community is to think that we can’t talk about prevention, because we think
we’ll encourage youth to have sex, but that’s stupid. Unless we can speak to
our youth we can’t expect them to make informed choices can decisions.”