Anglican Communion News Service

3rd HIV/AIDS Board Meeting

The Mazenod Conference in Germiston

5 - 8 July 2004 South Africa

We, the members of the CAPA HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria Board, drawn from the 12 CAPA Provinces, met in Germiston, South Africa from 5-8 July 2004 to consult and find strategies of how our church shall continue to respond to the HIV/AIDS pandemic on the continent of Africa.

We would like to record our sincere appreciation to Trinity Church and the Diocese of Massachusetts Jubilee Committee, who have funded and supported the work of the programme and the board from the inception of the programme in 2001.

We reaffirm our stance as a board that as a Church, setting an example of the compassion and love of Christ, we are well suited to help realise "a generation free from AIDS". Our theme hence was: "A new beginning."

The two-day meeting was officially opened by His Grace the Archbishop and Primate of Southern Africa and the Chairman of the CAPA HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria board, The Most Revd Njongonkulu Ndugane who challenged us to reflect on the theological and ideological differences the Church is faced with today. We have therefore resolved as a board that the programme should continue receiving funding from its current partners regardless of the ecclesiastical differences. The programme should not be affected by these differences.

We have heard the reports regarding the appointment of full time HIV/AIDS coordinators and the development of strategic plans and policies in the 12 CAPA Provinces and the Diocese of Egypt. We applaud all the Provinces for adopting and implementing the All Africa Anglican Planning framework developed in Boksburg 2001. We have heard the concerns from the Provinces and partners regarding accountability and transparency issues.

We the members of the board thus commit ourselves to the following immediate actions:

1. Expansion of the HIV/AIDS programme to include Malaria and Tuberculosis i.e. HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria Programme
2. Separate accounts for the programme
3. Separate audited accounts for the programme by September 2004
4. Recruitment of more staff, i.e. Financial officer; Monitoring and Evaluation Officer; Administrative Assistant; Gender Specialist
5. An audit committee to work closely with the executive committee
6. Annual Board and Coordinators meetings to review the progress of the programme and make the necessary adjustments
7. Support to needy provinces, i.e. Sudan; Indian Ocean; Burundi and Rwanda
8. Fundraising for implementation of Provincial Plans (US$125,000) since the ACC Compass Rose funds (phase two) are null and void.
9. Five-year strategic plan for the HIV/AIDS programme
10. A continental meeting drawing partners AIDS workers, Mothers' Union, Youth, Clergy, Bishops, PLWHA's and other stakeholders to be held in 2006, prior to the Lambeth Conference in 2008.
11. Continued and enhanced partnerships with Trinity Church, Diocese of Massachusetts Jubilee Ministry, ERD and ECUSA

We encourage Provinces to:

1. Submit regular narrative reports to the CAPA HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria Programme which will enable the programme have both quantitative and qualitative data about the impact of the programmes in the Provinces
2. Make exchange visits to learn from the other Provinces
3. Provide both spiritual and financial support to needy Provinces
4. Uphold our brothers and sisters in the Sudan in prayer and to strongly condemn the social injustice in that country and other African countries experiencing conflict.

We therefore pledge and commit ourselves to ensure the full implementation of the above mentioned. We acknowledge our shortcomings as a Church in dealing with stigma and discrimination and therefore pledge to continue preaching that "Stigma is Sin" and reaffirm the words of the All Africa Conference of Church's leaders Summit that "the Church is HIV+".

The CAPA HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria Board works in collaboration and partnership!