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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 20, 2005
Zambia Celebrates First National Day Devoted to
Care and Compassion for Those Living with HIV/AIDS
 LUSAKA, Zambia — Zambia 's religious and traditional leaders are joining together under a new program to promote care, support, and compassion for persons living with HIV/AIDS and the country honored the effort by holding the first Zambian Open Day for Care and Compassion.
Effectively mobilizing religious and community groups is the foundation of a new program called Care and Compassion Movement in Zambia , where about 1.6 million people are living with the virus that causes AIDS. The Care and Compassion Movement is designed to engage religious and community groups all over Zambia to get passionately involved in all efforts directed at h alting further spread of HIV/AIDS and efficiently managing the present level of infection through promotion of greater care and compassion.
The Care and Compassion Movement is a key activity being implemented by the Health Communication Partnership (HCP) in collaboration with the Zambian Ministry of Health, the National AIDS Council, and the Zambia Interfaith Networking Group on HIV/AIDS (ZINGO). The program is supported by the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
 On Wednesday, Oct. 12, Zambia's Minister for Health, the Honorable Sylvia Masebo (MP), officially launched the day to be celebrated yearly to s ustain the momentum of care and support activities nationwide; sustain HIV/AIDS stigma reduction activities among congregations and communities; continually promote counseling and testing; and sustain religious and national leadership engagement in HIV prevention and management activities.
“The time has come for us to take positive action in managing our brothers, sisters, and friends suffering from HIV/AIDS and the children who have been orphaned by it, said Ms Masebo said at the event. “What they require from us is our compassion, love, care and support without prejudice.”
More than 700 religious leaders and members of their congregations, mosques, and temples from Christian, Muslim, Bahai, and Hindu faiths participated in the event. In addition to Ms. Masebo, the launch included other important Government officials, His Worship the Mayor of Lusaka, members of the Diplomatic corps, and Mr. James Bednar, the USAID Mission Director in Zambia .
As he presented new Zambia Compassion Kits to more than 200 religious leaders trained in psycho-social counseling on HIV/AIDS, Bednar called on leadership at all levels in Zambia to “lead the way in cracking the barrier of stigma by talking openly about the disease, by leading the way to be tested and by becoming personally involved in activities which support those living with HIV/AIDS and their caregivers.”
Seven leaders of the religious mother bodies in Zambia (Christian, Muslim, Bahai and Hindu) signed a declaration calling on all religious and community leaders to make the formation of care and support groups a priority. They also strongly condemned all forms of stigma, discrimination, and isolation against persons living with the disease in their churches, mosques, and communities and called on all Zambians to go for counseling and testing.
A song titled “Its not over till God says so ” sung in English and seven local languages by 13 local musicians was also introduced at the event. Television and radio spots, posters, and brochures carrying messages of hope, care, and compassion that will support educational activities nationwide were also displayed.
HCP is a global communication initiative based at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health's Center for Communication Programs in partnership with the Academy for Educational Development, Save the Children, the International HIV/AIDS Alliance, and Tulane University 's School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. In addition to the five core partners, HCP works with leading Southern-based health communication organizations as well as global programming partners from the corporate sector, international media, academic institutions, and faith-based organizations. For more information, visit www.hcpartnership.org .
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