“We are a people who want to live!” – This is the motto of the Service Yezu Mwiza (SYM – ‘Good Jesus’ in Kirundi), a comprehensive AIDS programme run by the Jesuit region of Rwanda-Burundi. Based in Bujumbura and run by Fr Désiré Yamuremye SJ, SYM reaches people with HIV,
All Posts by Dennis Owuoche
Reflect
The presence of AIDS in our world today certainly gives cause for concern and reflection. It is such a complex issue, touching so many facets of human life, affecting millions of people, their communities and countries; it is difficult to know where to start thinking about it. We can easily
Not just a medical problem
Before coming to Kenya, I thought I knew enough about AIDS especially since I had just finished studying for, taking, and passing my recertification examination in internal medicine. I knew about HIV and its effects on the immune system leading to opportunistic infections and cancers. I knew how it is
Putting Christian love to the test
“The spirituality underlying our ministry is the conviction that AIDS is not just a medical problem for us as pastors. Its prevention and treatment, as well as the human and spiritual accompaniment of sick people, pose a pastoral problem too. The presence of AIDS in the Church community demands that
Integral development and justice
“HIV/AIDS is a pandemic, together with malaria and tuberculosis, which is decimating African populations and severely damaging their economic and social life. It is not to be looked at as either a medical-pharmaceutical problem or solely as an issue of a change in human behaviour. It is truly an issue
An ethical problem
“Serious threats loom over human life in Africa… Malaria, as well as tuberculosis and AIDS, decimate the African peoples and gravely compromise their socio-economic life. The problem of AIDS, in particular, clearly calls for a medical and pharmaceutical response. This is not enough, however: the problem goes deeper. Above all,
Responding in charity and justice
“In the spirit of the Beatitudes, preferential attention is to be given to the poor, the hungry, the sick – for example, those with AIDS, tuberculosis or malaria – to the stranger, the disadvantaged, the prisoner, the immigrant who is looked down upon, the refugee or displaced person (cf. Mt
Listen
There are nearly 23 million people living with HIV and AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa, and 14.8 children orphaned by AIDS. Behind the enormous horrifying statistics, there are individuals, with a name and a family, a unique and irreplaceable face and personality. Here you can meet and listen to some who
Zimbabwe Province (ZIM)
Zimbabwe is home to a dynamic youth project focused on HIV prevention. Fr Ted Rogers SJ launched the Jesuit AIDS Project (JAP) in Harare in 1996 with Mrs Christine Mtize to fight the alarmingly high prevalence rate in the country. Since then, JAP has enabled thousands of youth to live
Zambia-Malawi Province (ZAM)
AIDS is a declared priority for the ZAM Province of the Jesuits. Two landmark meetings organised in recent years gave further shape to the unique contribution that Jesuits can bring to the struggle against the pandemic. One of the meetings, which were organised by the social apostolate committee of the
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