Faith-based Initiatives

Faith-based initiatives are pivotal to the success of HIV/AIDS prevention and care efforts throughout the world.

Churches, mosques, synagogues, and other religious institutions are found in nearly all communities in the world and wield a significant level of cultural, political, social, educational, and economic influence.

 

Faith-based institutions can be viewed as the largest, most stable, and most extensively disbursed nongovernmental organizations in any country.  They are respected within their communities and most have existing resources, structures, and systems upon which to build.

 

Faith-based organizations possess the human, physical, technical, and financial resources needed to support and implement both small and large-scale initiatives.  They can undertake these actions in a very cost-effective manner due to their ability to leverage volunteer and other resources with minimal effort.

 

It is critical to involve faith-based groups in HIV/AIDS prevention and care—for the sake of society and of the groups themselves.  

Even difficult ethical issues raised by certain strategies—such as promoting condom use—can be resolved sufficiently to allow collaboration and compromise if addressed openly and with mutual respect.  Some of the tensions inherent in collaboration among diverse groups can be diffused—and cooperation fostered—by agreeing to limit the range of cooperation to the issue at hand and to set aside other areas of disagreement.

 

The strengths and achievements of faith-based initiatives to date—including interdenominational action, high rates of voluntarism, changes in church and health personnel towards a more holistic attitude—can be the building blocks for future coordination between faith-based organizations and multilateral, governmental, and non-governmental efforts.    

 

Developing initiatives from a shared sense of compassion and a commitment to serve others can bring together even those who may be far apart in the other particulars of their beliefs and values—to the benefit of all.