AIDS5

Strong interest from a well established scientific community helped in
solidifying the response. Senegalese researchers collaborated with partners from other countries in establishing research projects. These projects generated credible data early on, data that could be used to generate political support for a response in this difficult area.

Religous leadership :

In response, educational materials were designed to meet the needs of religious leaders. They focused in part on testimonials from people living with AIDS.the human face of the epidemic, often hidden where prevalence remains low. Training sessions about HIV were organized for Imams and teachers of Arabic, and brochures were produced to help them disseminate information. AIDS became a regular topic in Friday sermons in mosques throughout Senegal, and senior religious figures addressed the issue on television and radio. In March 1995, 260 senior Islamic leaders gathered for a conference on AIDS. The result of the conference was clear support for AIDS prevention efforts. The religious leaders declared that HIV was not a divine retribution for immoral behaviour.
They supported the rights of people living with AIDS, including the use of condoms to protect from infection within marriage if one partner is infected. And they stated that everyone should have access to full and accurate information about HIV and AIDS. Among Christians, and especially Catholics opposed to the use of any contraception, there was substantial resistance to AIDS prevention at first. And yet Christian organizations are important providers of health services in Senegal, and AIDS clearly threatened to become a major health issue if it were not prevented. Led by a Catholic NGO, SIDA Service, the churches gradually developed a more supportive outlook towards prevention. They provided important counselling and psychosocial support, and frequently referred those in need to alternative providers where they could not meet needs, for example for condom provision. In January 1996 Christian leaders gathered in another conference on AIDS.
Every bishop in Senegal was in attendance. Again, the result was a consensus that AIDS prevention was an important national activity.
The moral support for AIDS prevention given by religious leaders allowed secular and health authorities to work productively in providing education and specific HIV prevention services.

Perhaps the greatest obstacle to AIDS prevention activities in many
countries has been opposition, or even just the fear of opposition, from religiousauthorities. The tendency for religious leaders to prescribe abstinence and mutual monogamy in the face of overwhelming evidence that these behaviours are not always
the norm has been seen in almost every corner of the world. The fear of offending powerful religious constituencies has created gridlock in some national governments, and for good reason. Conservative lobbies have shown that they can obstruct everything from family life education to condom promotion if they choose.
Since almost all Senegalese are active practitioners of Islam or Christianity, religious leaders obviously have an enormously important role in national life. Their support for AIDS prevention activities was vital if the activities were to succeed. And it was clear that religious leaders wanted to be involved in this important area. As early as 1989, a conservative Islamic organization, Jamra, approached the national AIDS programme to discuss HIV prevention strategies. Although initially rather hostile to condom promotion and some other aspects of AIDS prevention, the group became an
important partner in a dialogue between public health officials and religious leaders.
In order to better understand the needs of the religious constituency, the government supported a survey of Moslem and Christian leaders. The survey results showed that religious leaders felt they were poorly informed about HIV and AIDS, and wanted more information to enable them to give clear guidance to their followers. They also expressed reservations about what they were prepared to support. For example, they were reluctant to support condom use between unmarried youngsters, but were prepared to support it within marriages.