The Fight Back: (HIV and AIDS)

By Raymond Motsi

It is hoped that I have clearly explained how the church can intervene as an agent for change in the community. The biblical mandate and theology of engagement is spelt out as the basis for the church’s approach. The Church has to demonstrate the love and grace of God to those who are affected and infected.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Nov 11, 2024
• ISBN: 9798823027557

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THE

FIGHT BACK

(HIV AND AIDS)

RAYMOND MOTSI

AuthorHouse™

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.authorhouse.com

Phone: [phone]

© 2024 Raymond Motsi. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 10/30/2024

ISBN: 979-8-8230-2756-4 (sc)

ISBN: 979-8-8230-2755-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2024910850

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

CONTENTS

Introduction

Chapter 1 My First Encounter with HIV and AIDS

Chapter 2 The first HIV and AIDS attack on my family

Chapter 3 Personal Initial Church Confrontational with HIV and AIDS

Chapter 4 A Friend’s Trust

Chapter 5 A Pastor’s Dilemma

Chapter 6 African Biblical Ethics

Chapter 7 The church and Family

Chapter 8 Attitudes and Behavioural Change

Chapter 9 HIV/AIDS and the Treatment

Chapter 10 How People get infected

Chapter 11 What is safe sex?

Chapter 12 Detection

Chapter 13 Home Based Care and Support Groups

Conclusion

Bibliography

INTRODUCTION

Christianity has not been as relevant in the African context as it should and as expected to. Part of the reason is that the church and its leaders have failed to give clear answers to some of the major issues that have affected the African people. Issues like poverty and HIV and AIDS, what is marriage, the wedding or the paying of lobola to mention just a few examples are not discussed openly. Christianity seems to be irrelevant and foreign to the lives of the people. If the Bible teaches that: the poor you will always have, love your neighbours as ourselves, do justice and love mercy and walk humbly with your God where have we lost the plot? (Mk14:7), (Matt22;39) and (Micah 6:8)

I have four brothers who succumbed to this dreaded disease without mentioning the members of my extended family whose numbers go into double digits. They died because of a number of reasons which include some of these mentioned here below. The reasons include denial, ignorance, pride, lack of adequate support, lack of financial resources to buy medication for opportunistic infections, delay in early testing, lack of counseling, fear of death, the families’ in ability to handle the disease which becomes a source of conflict and accusation and counter accusation. Attitudes and traditional practices are also a major contributing factor because these cultural value systems that make it difficult for the people to be involved in helping the affected and infected.

This book is a fight back, an offensive attack and retaliation on the scourge of HIV and AIDs that attacked me and my family when we were not aware of what was going on and not prepared. I have regrouped and garnered all my knowledge and skills to be on the offensive because I will not be a loser. Evil will not out live good. I may have lost a battle or some battles but I am going to win this war. AIDS and HIV is a disease and if it is a disease like cancer, diabetes, arthritis it should never be allowed to define who one is or should be. We are defined by our character and not illnesses that attack us.

The fact that somebody has AIDS or is HIV positive does not mean that they will die first or earlier compared to somebody who is HIV negative. God has not lost control neither has He allowed Satan to do all he wants to do in the universe, Christ still holds the keys for life and death. The most important thing is our attitude whether we are infected or affected must live our lives positively.

I came across an article in a magazine that was talking about a survey undertaken on people who suffered from cancer. They were 20 people in total and were asked what they would like to do in life before they die? About 12 decided what they wanted to do before they died and told the organisers their wishes which were granted. The remaining eight gave up and they had resigned by concluding that they were going to die what was the point in wasting time and resources? Eight of the 12 who chose to go and fulfill their wishes survived cancer treatment but four died during the treatment after they had realized their wishes. Out of the 8 who decided to give up six died in no time but two survived cancer treatment and out of the two one was treated of cancer and the other passed on a few years after.

I had heard about the human spirit’s quest for survival but I did not quite understand it until I came across this article. Quite often we give up without a fight but if the spirit is willing and is strong the body often responds and starts to fight back. Let us fight with all that we have and what we are to overcome HIV and AIDS.

I dedicate this book to the millions of the affected and infected, heroes and heroines who have survived HIV and AIDS disease in Africa thus far. Let us close ranks and keep fighting until the end. The best way to honour our loved ones who succumbed to the disease is to fight back.

1.2 The Target

The book is aimed at the Church and its leaders, practitioners in the African context, and all those whose family and friends, have succumbed to the deadly strangulation of HIV and AIDS. It seeks to inform and guide in gaining knowledge and understanding about HIV and AIDS. It also equips through awareness, and information dissemination. Confrontation of stigmatization, stereotypes, and discrimination due to ignorance and cultural prejudices, will be seriously exposed. Since the Church’s role is to touch vulnerable members of the community with God’s love, this book provides the basis of how that can be done. Ignorance and prejudice are the foundation of stigmatization and negative attitudes against those who are affected and infected by this destructive scourge. If these truisms are correct that say, "prevention is better than cure" and "to be fore warned is to be fore armed" then this book is a tool to pre-empty as a way of prevention and to harness further spread and suffering of people because of the pandemic. Demystification of the causes and effects of HIV and AIDS is very much at the core of what this book is trying to achieve. It protects the care givers to minimize possible risks posed by HIV and AIDS. As a result, it promotes positive attitudes for one to care, be involved, protect, and advise others about the disease. The development of a positive attitude and approach to the infected and the affected will result in empathy towards those who have fallen victim to the disease. The book also helps in imparting skills that can enable people to care and counsel in the community as they demonstrate right attitudes and disseminate correct and relevant information on HIV and AIDS. The breaking of misconceptions, dispelling of myths and elitist attitudes against HIV and AIDS infected people in the society is a process that this book can begin to encourage and advocate for.

CHAPTER 1

My First Encounter with HIV and AIDS

When I left school after my A levels in 1980 I worked at one of the biggest referral hospital in southern Africa Zimbabwe then in the statistics department. It is still clear in my mind when in 1982 we were told that there was a man who died due to a mysterious illness in the hospital. The hospital had no clue of what kind of disease that was. I got to know that because part of my job was to write the diseases and the frequency with which they occur or affect patients that were admitted at the hospital. The hospital did not know what to do with this man when he arrived. They could not quarantine him nor avoid him. The man died within about two weeks. Even though at the end the doctors put a number of illnesses as the causes of death