In an effort to help combat the growing threat of HIV-AIDS in the South Pacific, leaders of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the region voted to approve a strategic framework for action as well as a commitment statement during recent mid-year meetings.

“The South Pacific region is at risk, especially the islands of Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands,” says Dr. Ron Mataya, the director of health for the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) International.

“Australia and New Zealand seem to have contained the rate of spread. Papua New Guinea reports a prevalence rate of about 1 to 2 percent, but also reports that the rate of increase is between 15 to 30 percent. Papua New Guinea has the highest prevalence rate of sexually transmitted infections, which, together with other factors, contribute to the easy spread of HIV,” Dr. Mataya says.

HIV/AIDS-related illnesses are currently the leading cause of death in the hospital at Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea, or PNG. Some 15,000 in that country are infected with HIV/AIDS; of those, one in four is a housewife.

HIV/AIDS in PNG is distributed equally between men and women. Ninety percent of infections come from heterosexual transmission and 8 percent from parent to child. The 15 to 34 age group is the most affected.

The commitment statement voted at the meetings recognizes that the church has failed in the past to embrace this “growing reality” and effectively prevent or diminish the impact of the disease on society and church members.

The call is for church members to address concerns “compassionately and intelligently” in their homes, places of work and worship, church schools and training institutions, and clinics and hospitals.

The commitment made is to:
. Find ways to talk about sexual behavior and the prevention of HIV/AIDS despite “cultural roadblocks.”
. Work lovingly with those whose lives and relationships put them at risk from HIV/AIDS.
. Train church members to provide home-based care to all needing support in the community.
. Help parents realize their responsibility to counsel their children on sexual behavior and HIV issues.
. Work with governments and other organizations “to stamp out the stigma and discrimination associated with HIV/AIDS in all its forms.”

The strategic framework suggests an epidemic of HIV/AIDS is likely in some areas of the South Pacific within the next five to 10 years. Dr. Mataya—originally from Malawi—presented a picture of what can happen from what he has seen within Africa.

He reports: “ADRA International staff carried out an assessment of the HIV/AIDS situation in the Adventist Church in Malawi, Zambia, Botswana and Zimbabwe, and the findings were very disturbing.

“The church has lost some pastors, teachers, medical personnel, other workers and members, and yet there continues to be a disturbing denial of the problem. In some countries church income has gone down because the high-income earners have died from AIDS. Health –care [two words] benefits to church employees as well as time lost due to illness continue to increase.”

For Dr. Mataya, the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa is more than statistics—it is personal. His sister died of HIV/AIDS three years ago.

It is expected that many Adventists in the South Pacific, including Australia and New Zealand, will be affected in some way by HIV/AIDS.

All local areas and missions of the church in the South Pacific have been asked to prepare a strategic plan of action to be coordinated by a commission within each area.

The idea is to integrate and coordinate those area plans with ADRA and other church organizations and departments, and cooperation is expected with agencies outside the church.

Workshops and training programs within the church are anticipated. A process of monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of the strategic plan will also be set up.

These decisions are important, says Dr. Mataya. “It has been demonstrated that commitment at the highest level of authority in a country or organization acts as a catalyst for behavior change as it spurs people to more action.

“The strategies will guide each union to plan according to its resources and capacity. I’m delighted by the full acknowledgment and ownership of the problem, particularly in Papua New Guinea, by church leadership,” he says.