A Traditonal Healer sitting on the rock with an extended hand speaking with two Msulim Leaders and an Anglican Theology Professor.

Christian & Muslim Leaders Conference - Zomba 10/20/09

This event had enormous possibilities as the research team wanted to share with them what we found in terms of how the religious organizations work to provide care for those who are HIV positive and their families and what strategies can be used to reduce the incidence of HIV/AIDS – especially in woman and children. The group included Christian and Muslim Religious leaders and of course the GAIA/UCSF Research Team.

Overall the program went very well – there are always a few unknowns but the group was engaged, participatory, and committed to the cause. The first session of the morning session covered the overview of the general study findings in terms of the demographics of the study participants which included central and local religious leaders and interviews with people who were HIV positive.

The second session covered had a justice theme if discussing women and their role in religious organizations and how religious organizations view the role of women. Theme was the injustice of treating women like second class citizens and how the oppression places women at risk for contracting HIV.

Next, Dr .Susan Kools presented her findings on youth and what they reported about HIV/AIDS prevention. The take home message to the group was that youth needed constructive activities that would occupy their time and that communication with adults that they trusted would allow them to get accurate information and their sexuality and HIV/AIDS. The participants were then divided into small groups to discuss ideas for strategies to help women and youth and instructed to report their recommendations after lunch.

My portion of the program was very exciting for me and involved a controversial topic. I moderated a panel with a traditional healer and a religious leader and the goal was to discuss how religious leaders and traditional healers can come together to assist people who have HIV/AIDS and their families. I must admit that I was a bit nervous myself because my findings of the initial interview were mixed in terms of traditional healers having any collaboration with religious leaders.

At the beginning of the session I shared with the group the preliminary findings from interviewing traditional healers last summer. The group was mixed with those from Christian and Muslims and one of the interviewees was a woman. The general research findings related to the current relationship between the traditional healers and religious leaders was mixed. Some traditional healers said that they had no contact with religious leaders and that the church preached against them and others said that they had been invited by their pastor or priest to provided presentations to the congregations on the topic of HIV/AIDS. One interesting point that the panelist made who was a traditional healer was that even though religious leaders may encourage their members to not seek out a traditional healer, the religious leaders do seek out the help of traditional healers, but in secret.

At the onset of the discussion the traditional healer was a very eloquent and articulate young man. He shared up front that he was a bit anxious about his being at the conference and was not quite sure of his role in discussing this topic. He spoke of the misconceptions and negative stereotypes that people have about traditional healers. The religious leader was open and honest about the myths people harbor about traditional healers. The discussion was very interesting and lively as the two panelists stressed the importance of both groups participating in the fight against HIV AIDS. The audience was very engaged although we had only a few minutes for questions. My sense is that religious leaders have strong opinions about the use of traditional healers and that there are a lot of misconceptions and misunderstandings. Traditional healers, witch doctors, spiritual healers, those who practice “black magic” are all regarded as one group or one in the same and this is not true.

The take home message from the traditional healer was that the fact that you are a traditional healer does not mean that you do not have faith or that you do not believe in God. The take home message from the religious leader was that because you use the services of a traditional healer does not mean that you have lost your faith or have turned away from God. For me personally that was a profound moment. Both panelists agreed that the two groups must work together in the effort to combat the HIV/AIDS crisis in Malawi.

It will be interesting to see what other research questions emerge from this experience. We were to have a person who has HIV to be part of the panel but that did not happen. We do have one for the Friday conference and I know their presence will make a dynamic difference for the conversation.

The afternoon concluded with group presentations on their strategies to help youth and women and with a presentation by Rev. Donald Schell on best practices that were identified through the research process.

It was indeed a very good day.

Conference Location – Annie’s Lodge (10/19/09)

One and a half hours north of Blantyre is the town of Zomba. This is the location of our first conference entitled “Response to HIV/AIDS by Religious Leaders”. The purpose of the conference is to present to the group the findings of Dr. Sally Rankin’s large study examining how faith-based organizations are responding to the HIV/AIDS crisis in Malawi. The lodging area was quite spectacular. It looked and felt like a tropical garden paradise. I was amazed by the sheer beauty and it truly provided an open and welcoming environment for the conference proceedings. The research team is looking forward to not only sharing what we learned from our interviews, but also learning from our Malawian colleagues.

My Return to Malawi - Part 2

It is hard to believe that 15 months have passed since I left Malawi in July 2008 having completed the first stage of the research effort. The past months have been spent having interviews translated into English, reading the hundreds of lines of dialogue, and dealing with computer malfunctions. On the flip side I have had a wonderful time reading, analyzing, and thinking about what the religious leaders, traditional healers, and people living with HIV/AIDS had to say about the current crisis.

The trip to Africa is a long one, but was made easier by my discovery of the wonderful international airline Emirates. (I highly recommend it!) The first leg of the trip was 15 hours from San Francisco to Dubai and it was the longest flight I had been on to date. Once I landed in Malawi, being the social animal that I am, it is wonderful to see the familiar faces of my Malawi friends and colleagues with whom I will be connected to forever.

The main purpose of the return trip is to present the research project findings at two clergy conferences, one in Zomba and the other in Blantyre. As you may recall Dr. Sally Rankin from the School of Nursing is the Principal Investigator of the NIH R01 grant examining how faith-based organizations are addressing the HIV/AIDS crisis in Malawi and she is my mentor on my diversity supplement grant. My role at the conference will be to moderate a panel that includes a religious leader, a traditional healer, and an individual who is HIV positive. The topic to be discussed is how can religious leaders and traditional healers come together to help those who are living with HIV/AIDS and their families. In addition we are collecting interviews from 10 more traditional healers.

This is part two of the journey and I am confident that it will an interesting and rewarding experience.

Thanks to All

Frankfurt, Germany

The final leg – I’m so happy to be going home to see my husband and return to work. There are many people I need to thank for this incredible experience. I must give many thanks to – God, my husband Ron, family, church family, friends, and colleagues. I appreciate your unwavering support and prayers. It will take me a while to process all that has transpired this past month. I am very blessed and I look forward with great enthusiasm what the future will bring and the results of the project.

Thanks to Susan Levings and Eric Davila who have organized and developed the blog site. They have done an outstanding job. This is a wonderful and creative way to share my experiences with the local community and the world. The feedback from readers has been sensational.

Finally I want to say a very special to Dr. Sally Rankin, who without, this project would not be. I thank her for her mentorship and guidance during this process.

It’s 12 noon, I’m back in San Francisco, and Ron is on his way to pick me up. Truly there is no place like home!

On My Way Home

Johannesburg, South Africa

Leg two of the trip. The 11 hour flight is hard but I am getting more exciting about getting closer to home. Next stop is Frankfurt, Germany.