Story
by
Abigirl
Tembo,
Health
Editor
Among
delegates
attending
the
22nd
edition
of
the
International
Conference
on
AIDS
and
STIs
in
Africa
(ICASA)
in
Harare
are
people
living
with
HIV
and
they
all
have
stories
to
tell.
Among
them
is
Reverend
Canon
Professor
Gideon
Byamugisha
of
Uganda
the
founding
father
of
the
International
Network
of
Religious
Leaders
Living
with
or
personally
affected
by
HIV/AIDS-INERELA.
Reverend
Byamugisha
became
the
first
African
religious
leader
to
publicly
declare
his
HIV-positive
status
in
2002.
His
message
is
one
of
openness
and
unconditional
love,
acknowledging
the
role
of
science
for
people
living
with
HIV.
“God
has
given
us
the
science
that
we
need
not
only
to
prevent
new
infections
but
also
to
help
people
live
longer
productive
lives
like
me,
I
got
to
know
I
was
positive
in
1992,
and
in
1998
I
started
treatment
now
this
is
2023
and
my
viral
load
is
still
undetectable
for
over
15
years.
In
that
period
because
of
science,
I
married,
after
losing
my
first
wife
to
AIDS,
I
married
another
wife
who
was
also
HIV
positive.
“We
delayed
having
children
for
seven
years
but
when
science
came
we
put
it
into
practice
and
had
two
children
one
is
20
and
the
other
23,
negative
so
science
is
available.
What
is
frustrating
us
from
utilising
the
science
is
again
the
stigma
and
the
prejudice
and
the
denial,
the
discrimination
that
goes
around.
“I
warn
some
churches
for
example
who
have
taken
people
off
medicine
saying
that
its
only
prayers
that
heal
but
we
know
very
well
that
everything
that
heals
that
promotes
life
is
from
God.
In
my
life,
I
pray
as
if
medicine
doesn’t
work
and
I
take
medicine
as
if
prayers
are
not
available.
Both
of
them
are
effective.”
Inspired
by
Reverend
Byamugisha,
Reverend
Maxwell
Kapachawo
who
tested
positive
for
HIV
in
2004
founded
the
Zimbabwean
chapter
of
the
Zimbabwe
Network
of
People
Living
with
HIV
(ZINERELA)
and
he
says
without
anti-retroviral
treatment
he
would
be
dead
by
now.
To
reach
the
UNAIDS
targets
of
ending
AIDS
by
2030
faith-based
organisations
should
according
to
Reverend
Byamugisha
admit
to
the
reality
of
AIDS
in
their
midst,
do
away
with
judgemental
attitudes
towards
people
living
with
HIV,
and
instead
offer
them
practical,
social,
and
spiritual
support.
“The
stigma
that
connects
HIV
with
morality
has
not
gone
down
people
still
confuse
HIV
with
sin
yet
we
have
sexual
saints
that
are
HIV
positive
and
we
have
sexual
sinners
that
are
HIV
negative
my
HIV
status
will
not
tell
you
my
spiritual
status
and
my
spiritual
status
will
tell
you
nothing
about
my
AIDS
status
so
as
faith
communities
we
need
to
work
out
something
better,”
he
said.
40
years
later
since
the
first
reported
cases
of
HIV,
Advancements
in
HIV
treatment
have
thus
enabled
individuals
taking
and
staying
on
treatment
to
lead
longer
and
healthier
lives
with
Zimbabwe
among
the
countries
which
have
exceeded
the
UNAids
95
95
95
prevention
targets|
ZBC
NEWS