AIDS is a crosscutting issue for Jesuit social centres in sub-Saharan Africa, whose research and action are guided by faith and social justice. Their advocacy and education work often focuses on or incorporates AIDS-related issues. Individual Jesuits also write, speak and conduct research about AIDS. Close to the people, two
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Institutions for orphans
In sub-Saharan Africa, around 14.8 million children have been orphaned by AIDS and they need intensive and wide-ranging support to go beyond survival to live life to the full. Most Jesuit AIDS ministries reach out to orphans and vulnerable children in one way or other. Centres, associations, parishes, schools and
Jesuit-founded associations
Over the years some Jesuits took the initiative to respond to urgent needs they saw around them by founding programmes or organisations. Jesuit provinces have incorporated some, like the Jesuit AIDS Project, while others remain autonomous and retain close ties with the Society of Jesus. There are two such associations
Schools and educational institutions
With close to 100 educational institutions in Africa, Jesuits and their co-workers come in contact with thousands of young people and are ideally placed to carry out HIV prevention. To avoid heaping “more of the same” information that their students get tired of hearing, schools, educational centres and university chaplaincies
Christian communities
In some African countries, CLC groups undertake AIDS-related ministry. CLC stands for Christian Life Community, an international association of people who come together in small groups to pray, reflect and seek God’s will as individuals and as a community. Their spirituality is deeply rooted in the Spiritual Exercises of St
Parishes
Experience has taught us that the parish is a privileged place to fight AIDS. Apart from pastoral care for those who are sick, rejected or bereaved, structures have been put in place to offer close and concrete support to people affected by the pandemic. Some parishes run clinics while volunteer
Stand-alone centres
Some African Jesuit provinces and regions have centres dedicated to countering HIV/AIDS. There are such centres in Burundi, Madagascar, Togo and Zimbabwe. The first three offer prevention activities and holistic care and support; the fourth focuses on youth. All advocate for access to treatment.
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