Partnerships – Links with other Organisations for Christian work

 

Leprosy and AIDS
Between 2007 and 2010, the Circuit's chosen project to give support to was to focus on work with victims of leprosy and AIDS – an ancient curse and a modern curse.  In the first half of 2007, presentations were made to the Circuit Meeting on behalf of both causes.  The essence of both presentations is shown below, to make clear the causes to which the Circuit has directed the fund raising efforts.


testing for leprosy
by skin smear

The Ancient Curse – Leprosy

Leprosy was known in Biblical times when sufferers were regarded as unclean outcasts, isolated because of the fear of contracting the disease. Today millions of people are still outcasts as a result of leprosy, which is also known as Hansen's Disease. It is caused by a bacillus and is probably spread by airborne droplet infection. 

The first outward sign of leprosy is a loss of feeling in a patch of skin. As it develops it attacks nerves under the skin, leading to loss of feeling, paralysis, unfelt injury to hands, feet and face; leading to disability and even blindness. The disease and its sufferers are still surrounded by myths, stigma and fear which mean that it is more than a medical condition.
It is not a highly contagious disease but people with poor general health due to poor nutrition are susceptible and so there are many sufferers in poor countries and more than 300,000 new cases are detected each year. Despite the suffering it causes leprosy risks becoming a forgotten problem amongst higher profile social problems.

There is no effective preventative vaccine but leprosy can be cured by a multidrug therapy (MTD). After only a few days treatment sufferers are no longer infectious. Most people are cured after six months treatment - more than 13 million people have been cured in the past 25 years. To prevent the spread of leprosy early detection and treatment with MTD are vitally important.


measuring for an artificial leg

The Leprosy Mission is a Christian based organisation currently supporting 171 projects in Asia and Africa benefiting hundreds of thousands of sufferers.

 

The Modern Curse – AIDS

HIV is a virus which causes a condition called AIDS by attacking the body's immune system.  The rate at which HIV damages the immune system and so causing AIDS can be dramatically slowed by treatment with what are known as anti-retro viral drugs.  These are not cheap.  The rate of development of AIDS and the death rate from it depends upon general health, the physical well-being and the nature of the environment of the person infected.  


missing mothers

It is estimated that 40 million people suffer from AIDS.  92% of all victims live in the poorer countries in what is called 'the developing world'. Women are more susceptible to the disease than men. Babies born to HIV infected mothers can themselves be infected in the process of being born and from their mother's milk.  About 1,800 children are infected each day, about 1,400 children under the age of 15 die from AIDS each day, and about 6,000 children are orphaned each day as their parents die from AIDS

In some church circles, rather than sympathy for those who suffer from AIDS there is strong condemnation of such people because of the links between AIDS and promiscuity.  Some in the life of the church go as far as to claim that AIDS is God's judgement on licentious people. 

Such people would therefore think it inappropriate for a church to be involved in helping AIDS sufferers. Those who condemn forget the attitude of Jesus to those who sought his assistance.  Read Luke 7:36-50 and John 4:1-30 and you will see very clearly the way in which Jesus went beyond the 'respectable' attitudes of the Pharisees to meet the needs of these two women.

The attitude of condemnation also ignores the fact that the vast majority of women who suffer from AIDS and all the children who suffer from it are innocent victims.  Surely the heart of Jesus would go out to all who suffer from this cruel disease and he would deal with people who see AIDS as God's punishment as firmly as he dealt with those 'respectable' Pharisees?  Joining the fight against the scourge of AIDS will give us an excellent opportunity to witness to one of the basic values of our faith – compassionate action on behalf of those in need regardless of their race, religion, social or moral status.

However, to ensure wide support for this venture and to ease any sensitive consciences, it was agreed that we support the AIDS related programmes set up by 'Save the Children' which are obviously targeted at the millions of innocent children at risk from this disease.

 
 

WaterAid
See also our project in Tanzania

During the period 2004-2007, our Circuit committed itself to helping WaterAid. WaterAid is an international charity that works in fifteen countries in Africa and Asia to help some of the poorest communities provide themselves with a better quality of life through water, sanitation and hygiene education projects. The charity, established in 1981, now helps over 500,000 people every year and also seeks to influence water and sanitation policies at a wider, global scale.

The need for WaterAid
Over a billion people don’t have safe water and over two billion don’t have somewhere safe and clean to go to the toilet. As a result a child dies every fifteen seconds from water related diseases. People’s livelihoods, education and dignity are also affected.
The burdens on women In developing countries poor water and sanitation effects the lives of women and children the most. It impacts on women’s time, health, education and family relations.
Impact on children
Without safe water and sanitation nearby life for children in developing countries can be very hard. They are often at risk from disease and are unable to attend school
Diseases
Over two million people die from diseases related to unsafe water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene every year.