A space for hope, a Message of Archbishop of Canterbury's on World AIDS Day

London: December 01, 2009, (PCTV Newsdesk)

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has released his 2009World Aids Day video, in which he speaks with the Revd Patricia Sawo, achurch leader and mother from Kenya, about her experiences of livingwith HIV. The video highlights the plight of expectant mothers who areHIV positive and the support they need to prevent the transmission ofHIV to their babies.

The video is available here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAofR3tmmrM

Dr Williams and The Revd Sawo discuss both the problems that emergethrough keeping silent on issues surrounding HIV and the importance ofthe Church's role in breaking this silence and providing support andleadership. As a faith leader and a mother herself living with HIV, TheRevd Sawo gives the example of her own church: "My congregation knowsabout my status and people in my church know that this is a place where,if they come with HIV, they can be loved."

The Revd Sawo calls for the eradication of the stigma and denialassociated with the condition: "The things we are silent about, thethings we never talk about - they are the things that really affect us".

In the video the Archbishop says that the Church can: "Provide space forpeople to face themselves, to be themselves, and to cope with theirfuture."

A message of hope runs throughout the video. The Archbishop says: "Weknow that the transmission from mother to child is something that can bedealt with. We need to encourage all our governments to keep up theircommitment to making this medical help available, and to giving thathope, which we know is possible."

The Revd Sawo echoes this: "What makes me hopeful is the Church, and thelove that a woman can receive in the Church. Hoping in faith that allthings are possible, but at the same time making it a reality by havingthe space in the Church where women can grow to be themselves, and beable to face all kinds of life challenges." The video also highlightsthe role of men, of fathers, in supporting mothers to access support andvital services.

According to the United Nations, there are 2.1 million children (0-15years) living with HIV. In 2008, 430,000 children were newly infectedwith HIV, 90% of them through mother-to-child transmission. In low andmiddle income countries, only 45% of mothers living with HIV can accesscomprehensive services to help protect their babies from infection.

Patricia Sawo is the HIV Ambassador for Tearfund, a Christian relief anddevelopment agency, who co-produced the video.

 The full transcript of video can be read at is below:

Archbishop - introduction:

Every mother wants the best for her child, and that's why, if a motherfeels that if she's transmitting not only life to a child but also riskor danger, it's a big trauma. It's something that can undermine a personvery deeply. It's a point at which they need the most generous supportavailable.

I'll be speaking with the Revd Patricia Sawo from Kenya, who will betalking out of her own experience of this, and also her experience as achurch leader.

Patricia Sawo:

In some churches they talk about HIV and AIDS and in some they stilldon't, but in my church it's not a 'big thing'; it's something that wetalk about. My congregation knows about my status and people in mychurch know that this is a place where if they come, they can be loved.Therefore, many people have turned to me when they are HIV positive,which shows that if church leaders availed themselves, (if) they haveaccurate information, the support is there. They can be there for thepeople, the space can be there.

Archbishop:

Patricia, what makes you hopeful about this situation of mothers andchildren, and HIV?

Patricia Sawo:

What makes me hopeful is the Church and the love that a woman canreceive in the Church. Hoping in faith that all things are possible, butat the same time making it a reality by having the space in the Churchwhere women can grow to be themselves, and be able to face all kinds oflife challenges.

Archbishop:

So the Church needs to be affirming of women in this position - do youthink it has a role of spreading information as well?

Patricia Sawo:

Yes. The Church has a role in spreading the information, but alsoempowering the women to be able to stand and face the challenges. Thereis this lady that came to me for help. She could access the ARV's(antiretroviral medication) for (preventing) mother-to-child(transmission), but her main issue was: "How do I deal with the shame ofthis? How do I face the other people? How do I answer when they ask mewhy I am not breastfeeding my child?" That is something that I alsopersonally struggled with, yet they are things that we can deal with ifthere is space.

Archbishop:

You've used the word 'space' more than once actually, and I think it's awonderful one to use for what the Church can offer when it's doing itsjob. Provide space for people to face themselves, to be themselves, andto cope with their future.

Patricia Sawo:

You need somewhere to be able to be safe with your realisation. TheParable of the Prodigal Son normally beats me here, that things werevery difficult but when he came to realisation, there was this placethat he knew things would be different.

Archbishop:

What happens to children isn't just about mothers though is it? It'sabout fathers too. How do they come into the picture?

Patricia Sawo:

With HIV it seems to be that the woman is the one that is being pushedto the wall, because it's about the child being infected inside thewomb, it's about the child being infected at birth, it's about the childbeing infected while breastfeeding. But at the same time, this is achild that has been brought forth by these two people: a father and amother. And so for me, it becomes [about] the involvement of men in this[that] would really make it simple, because the many questions that thewoman has to deal with would be lessened if they are both involved fromthe start.

Archbishop:

What are the other big messages you'd want to put out - to the Churches,to the public in general?

Patricia Sawo:

For me, the key message to the Church is we must make sure that weeradicate stigma, and we must make sure that we [em]power our members,our congregations, to be able to overcome all sorts of shame and to bevery open about sex and sexuality because this is where the problem ismost of the time. The things we are silent about, the things we nevertalk about, they are the things that really affect us. So I would wishto see my congregation where members are controlling the issues that area crisis to them, and not my members being controlled by the crisis.

Archbishop - conclusion:

The message is that there is hope.

We know that transmission from mother to child is now something that canbe dealt with. We need to encourage all our governments to keep up theircommitment to making this medical help available, and to giving thathope which we know is possible. And in all of that, the churches have acrucial role. Patricia's spoken a lot about how the Church can be a safespace, how the Church can realise people's potential. How the Churchreally can be a lifesaver here.

So we can pray that all our congregations will be themselves the agentsof hope that they have the capacity to be.
http://www.aco.org/acns/news.cfm/2009/12/1/ACNS4673