Pentecostal churches urged on HIV fight, errant pastors warned

Leaders of Pentecostal churches and evangelists have been urged to disseminate correct HIV prevention messages to their congregations as a strategy to fight the epidemic.

Planning and strategic information director at the Uganda AIDS Commission (UAC), Dr Vincent Bagambe says some of the religious leaders have been sharing incorrect messages with their congregations, while a few errant ones sabotage health programmes including stopping people from taking their antiretroviral medication and instead advising them to rely on prayer and fasting for healing.

Upon that background, the Uganda AIDS Commission embarked on sensitising religious leaders about the presidential fast-track initiative of ending AIDS as a health public threat by 2030, according to Bagambe.

He noted that members and leaders of Pentecostal churches are evangelists and have an important role to play in contributing to ending HIV by 2030.

Canon Ruth Senyonyi, the chairperson Uganda AIDS Commission signs a statement of commitment as other officials and religious leaders look on. (Credit: Agnes Kyotalengerire)

It is estimated that about 14 to 15 million Ugandans attend church each week, which is a powerful platform where HIV prevention messages can be delivered to young people but also to adults.

“We believe that the Church will give us that platform and deliver correct HIV messages, hence causing change in societal beliefs and norms from the negative to positive beliefs that are protective against HIV transmission,” he said.

The annual Joint AIDS Review Report 2023/2024 indicates that most of the new HIV infections are among young people aged 15 to 24 years, especially adolescent girls and young women.

Notably, most of these young people are part of the congregation of Pentecostal churches, the evangelists and the Born-Again churches in Uganda.

To enhance the message dissemination process, Bagambe said they have distributed handbooks packed with HIV messages that religious leaders can use. According to him, equipping religious leaders with the correct information will help to reduce the risk of them disseminating wrong or incorrect messages.

"If an individual is given the correct messages to deliver but does the contrary, it will be brought to the attention of their leaders, and corrective measures will be taken, considering that there are structures in place," he said.

Dr Vincent Bagambe, the director Planning and Strategic Information Uganda AIDS Commission addresses participants. (Credit: Agnes Kyotalengerire)

Bagambe was speaking during a meeting UAC engaged over 60 leaders of Pentecostal churches and stakeholders on national HIV and AIDS response. The meeting organised by Uganda AIDS Commission and AIDS Healthcare Foundation Uganda Cares took place at Hotel Africana in Kampala on Tuesday (December 3, 2024).

UAC chairperson Can. Ruth Ssenyonyi urged religious leaders to think through the practical ways of reaching out to young people starting within the churches and communities, giving clear messages about HIV and other health-related matters.

“This is a festive season, so keep the momentum of reaching all citizens with HIV messages particularly the vulnerable groups of young girls and women who are bearing a high burden with an HIV prevalence of 6.6% as opposed to their male counterparts whose HIV prevalence stands at 3.7%," she said.

“We are fighting, we are in a big battle, and need your support because we cannot do it alone,” Ssenyonyi added.

The country director of AIDS HealthCare Foundation/Uganda Cares, Henry Magala noted that young people lack knowledge about HIV/AIDS. Magala implored the leaders to relay age-appropriate information to them given that they have what it takes.

“Knowledge is power and should be accessed by everyone more especially the young people who are engaging in sex at an early age,” he said.

Where is the gap?

Effective testing and treatment have been rolled out in the entire country, and treatment services that include medicines and laboratories are available for every Ugandan to access. Besides, there is technology for prevention including drugs, condoms and safe male circumcision.

However, Bagambe said the gaps lie in the mobilisation that there is a lack of awareness, especially among young people who did not see the picture of HIV in the 1990s and early 2000s causing complacency now.

Apostle Grace Lubega of Phaneroo Ministries remarks. (Credit: Agnes Kyotalengerire)

“Young people think HIV is not a problem, and that they are not at risk. Others think it is okay for an individual to test HIV positive and are started on antiretroviral drugs,” he said.

The other challenge is the disadvantages society puts on young girls and women compared to their male counterparts. For instance, society will first put the boy child in school before they consider enrolling the girl child in school.

Besides, many families believe a man has the right to do whatever ill they wish against their wives. For example, they feel it is okay to have multiple sexual relationships and not for the woman.

“The gap is in the social, individual behaviours and this is the space we believe can change. We think the religious leaders of traditional churches, Pentecostal, evangelists and Muslim faith can be utilised to give the right message to the young people, to the parents to change their behaviour positively and people start living a more responsible life that will protect them from HIV.

The cost of HIV /AIDS care and treatment

UAC head of HIV prevention Dr Daniel Byamukama said it is important to mainstream HIV response in religious institutions to reduce HIV transmissions because it is costly to keep people on treatment.

Currently, the Government and development partners spend close to shillings 700,000 per person annually (one year), which translates into shillings one trillion to keep 1.3 million people on HIV treatment and care.

This includes procurement of drugs and laboratory monitoring. He said before enrolling patients on treatment they have to take off blood samples and do laboratory tests, not to mention some of the laboratories are far away so we have to transport samples,” Byamukama said.

How religious leaders plan to work differently

Bishop Harry Moris Bukenya of Eden Revival Church in Wandegeya said it is important to bring in families, especially men because oftentimes women are demonised when it comes to HIV.

“The public looks at women as the key drivers of HIV, yet the men are equally responsible because they spread the disease widely by luring them into sexual relationships,” Bukenya said.

He urged fellow religious leaders to disseminate HIV response messages using the facilities available, for example, TVs, schools and hospitals.

Officials from Uganda AIDS Commission, Uganda Cares and religious leaders after a meeting at UAC that engaged over 60 leaders of Pentecostal churches and stakeholders on national HIV and AIDS response. (Credit: Agnes Kyotalengerire)

Apostle Grace Lubega of Phanero Ministries said the message is timely, considering that the Pentecostal churches are doing a lot of work among young people.

Lubega said it is important to leverage the old HIV and AIDS stories to teach the young generation considering that they do not know that history.

Touching age-appropriate messages, Lubega said there have not been so many messages targeting young people and meeting them where they are.

“We are talking about YouTube, X-space, Instagram, media influencers and podcast shows that are voices behind the power that we have seen,” he said.

According to Lubega, there is a need to create a strong working relationship between UAC, churches and other partners to target the young age.

Do not blame clerics

Canon Gideon Byamugisha said the Government and development partners should not blame religious leaders for not doing the right thing. Instead, they should equip and empower the leaders with the knowledge and the right information.

Bishop Dr Joseph Richard Magongo said there are already interventions such as the “Glory of Virginity Movement” that have been run using church institution resources.
Magongo said moving forward the partnerships with UAC and Uganda CARES will be strengthened to enable the country end HIV/AIDS by 2030.

HIV burden

The national HIV prevalence among the adult population (15-49 years) has continued to decline, standing at 5.1% from 5.5% in 2020.  This means that in a crowd of 100 people, there are only five who are infected with HIV.

Notably, the prevalence is still higher among women (15 to 49 years) at 6.6% compared to the men in the same age bracket at 3.6%, according to the annual Joint AIDS Review Report 2023/2024.

New HIV infections reduced from 46,000 in 2020 to 38,000 in 2023, which translates into 100, people getting infected with HIV every day.

The same report indicates that in a space of one year, only 4,700 children between 0 to 14 years acquired HIV infection from their positive mothers, hence translating into 5.04% infection rate. This is a reduction from 5,900 new HIV infections that were recorded among children in 2023.

In 2020, the country was registering 21,000 AIDS-related deaths, and they have just slightly reduced to 20,000 for June 2024, against the 2025 target of 10,800.

An estimated 1,492,410 people were living with HIV as of December 2023 and of those, there are more women than men living with HIV.