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Bishops' Consultation on HIV/AIDS, Christian
Council of Tanzania (CCT), Dodoma

The next day, the Balm team piled into SUVs and drove six hours northwest of Dar es Salaam to Dodoma, a small city with an even more relaxed atmosphere. The landscape along the way was lush, green, and tropical, and there were people farming everywhere. The agricultural life is very rich and people could be seen selling goods by the side of the road, hauling wood, and guiding cattle and sheep. The rainy season this year has produced terrible flooding, where bridges were washed out, homes were lost, crops and herds were lost, and many people lost their lives. But the people persevere through faith.

Most people in Tanzania live in rural areas and the church is the most powerful institution affecting their lives. The church has the potential to make a huge impact in the fight against HIV/AIDS in the country, and that's why prominent religious leaders from all over the region came to Dodoma for CCT's Bishops' Consulation. Bishops, reverends, sisters, doctors, a member of Parliament, and the Prime Minister were all in attendance. Partners in the consultation were The Balm In Gilead, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), MAP International, and others.

Pernessa Seele, Founder and CEO of The Balm In Gilead, told a packed conference room filled with church leaders from all over Tanzania and other Eastern and Central African countries, that Africans must speak up and out for themselves. In the U.S., she said black people fought hard to get resources to fight HIV/AIDS in the African American community. "Now we're fighting to get resources to help African churches in Tanzania, and we need the support of church leaders."

This consultation marked the first time the bishops from numerous denominations have come together ecumenically to talk about HIV/AIDS education. Tanzanian Prime Minister Frederick Tlrway Sumaye gave the opening remarks, congratulating CCT for addressing the right issue at the right moment. The work of the religious leaders is strengthening the President Benjamin Mkapa's recent declaration of war against HIV/AIDS in Tanzania. "Three HIV-positive people were identified in 1993," Sumaye said, "and today there are 2 million. We are all fighting against a common enemy. We have no time to fight amongst ourselves because the enemy will not wait. The only task before us is to unify our efforts. Faith groups are very powerful because they command respect from people in all categories. They have a good chance to mobilize people," added Sumaye.

The Prime Minister continued to say that HIV/AIDS has no borders and no denominational preferences. The government recently organized a faith groups' consultation that and emphasized the need for pastoral as well as physical care. But, according to Sumaye, efforts to curb the spread of HIV/AIDS have not been working because there is so much stigma, shame, and denial. "We're not telling the truth about these diseases," Sumaye remarked. "We need to speak out and be clear and transparency will help curb the problem. We need to address traditional practices that allow HIV/AIDS to spread, like widow inheritance and female genital mutilation. Churches should discourage these activities. We have not been taking care of the affected and the infected: we have been shunning them, subjugating them, humiliating and traumatizing them. This leads to a cycle of persistence and silence that only increases numbers," stated Sumaye.

Sumaye thanked The Balm In Gilead intensely for showing their commitment in joining hands, particularly in the rural areas of Tanzania. "Our government welcomes your efforts and human and material resources. Victory is certain if we join hands together. This war is severe and we must learn how to reduce infections and help the sick to start walking again."

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