Care and support and people living with HIV and AIDS at Holy water: An assessment at four selected sites in Addis Ababa

AssessmentHIV/AIDS care and support at holy water sites in Addis Ababa Zena Berhanu AAU Social Work iii The world at large, with various social and health problems is demanding remedies that would help improve the lives of citizens. HIV/AIDS being one of the greatest challenges of this century compels nations to respond to the situation in whatever way is possible. This assessment is done in a way to look for alternative response mechanisms to HIV/AIDS that could in the long run be complemented and integrated to the widely known bio-medical approach of HIV treatments. The selected four holy water sites could show the need to search for other cultural or alternative ways of responses being utilized by individuals to counter act the effect of the epidemic. By applying mainly in-depth interview and other forms of interviews, the assessment tried to identify various issues such as attitude and experience of PLWHAs using the holy water and other spiritual treatments as well as anti-HIV/AIDS drugs. In addition, the various needs and problems associated with the PLWHAs and the system at the sites are assessed. Holy water use in the form of drink and shower is the main treatment used by the PLWHAs together with other spiritual practices. And people in most cases are in need of compromising the spiritual practices together with the medical knowledge through counseling or other models, which are not available, let alone to access and utilize. At the same time due to the widespread poverty, this section of the population is also affected very much. Fulfilling basic needs is difficult to most of them. In addition the social isolation from their families relatives and friends is very common to the majority to these communities. AssessmentHIV/AIDS care and support at holy water sites in Addis Ababa Zena Berhanu AAU Social Work iv In addition to the above, it is found out that though people went to the holy water sites for the purpose of getting cure, there are also various reasons to be described as push and pull factors. PLWHAs have talked about observed changes on their lives while using the holy water. The knowledge, attitude and experience regarding the antiHIV/AIDS drugs vary from individual to individual with different rationale of their own. There is also difference AssessmentHIV/AIDS care and support at holy water sites in Addis Ababa Zena Berhanu AAU Social Work v among the PLWHAs and key informants in viewing the possibility of taking both holy water and ART together. The intervention made so far at the four holy water sites is very limitede. There is a system of recording and documentation, which is not very organized and at the same time not uniform through out the sites. Voluntary caregivers are the best support groups among others for PLWHAs at the sites. AssessmentHIV/AIDS care and support at holy water sites in Addis Ababa Zena Berhanu AAU Social Work vi The church’s (Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church) response to HIV/AIDS has been raised in various occasions as good and encouraging. But I feel a separate evaluation would be carried out to see its so far accomplishments on the fight against HIV/AIDS. The assessment had identified the gap that the church’s 5 years program document on HIV/AIDS did not mention about holy water sites as potentials of treatment or as target areas of intervention whereas significant numbers of PLWHAs are heading to the places requiring various services. For instance, counseling and basic needs provisions. Actually, since the sites were not initially meant to respond to HIV/AIDS, some sort of adjustment is obviously necessary. Generally, the assessment underlies the need to give attention to these sites following the large flow of people towards them. AssessmentHIV/AIDS care and support at holy water sites in Addis Ababa Zena Berhanu AAU Social Work vii Table of content Acknowledgement Abstract Chapter -1 Background of the study . 1 1.