Dimapur, March 18 (MExN): The Nagaland Baptist Churches Council (NBCC), the apex Naga Baptist Church organisation, of late has become more serious about AIDS and is trying to play its own part in the fight against the dreaded disease.
The Secretary of the NBCC Women Wing, Narola speaking with The Morung Express, said that the women wing of the NBCC had established a ministry called Miqlat Ministry which deals mostly with the commercial sex workers and AIDS patients.
She confessed stigma and discrimination are a big hurdle in the fight against the disease. She said that the women wing of the NBCC is trying its best to remove this stigma and discrimination on AIDS patients by trying to provide a platform to the patients to come out and openly declare that they are suffering from the disease.
NBCC Peace Director, Rev Kari, in a telephonic conversation on the same question said the church has a negative attitude towards the disease. “The Church has a negative attitude towards the disease, but now the church has changed its (negative) attitude for the positive people” said the reverend.
Secretary Narola also disclosed that they plan to take AIDS patients to various places and functions where they can give their testimony about their lives as AIDS patients.
On the question of whether the churches took up the AIDS cause a bit too late, both the NBCC leaders agreed that the church did take up the cause late, but their views were optimistic.
The NBCC women secretary pragmatically said, “Yes…but its better to be late than never.”
NBCC Peace Director, Rev Kari Longchar shared almost the same view.
“Of course, because in the first outbreak (of the disease) we looked with apprehension, because it (AIDS) was related with immorality, we know that AIDS is infected through blood transfusion and through sex and other immoral behaviour.” However, the reverend on an optimistic note said that by the early nineteen nineties the people have come to realize about the disease and is now receiving more positive response towards the disease.
Narola also put forth her own suggestion that the different societies including the churches fighting for AIDS needs to network among themselves.
“We need to network together because NGOs alone cannot fight this disease alone, Church alone cannot fight this disease.”
On being asked how she sees the AIDS scenario five years from now on, the women secretary said that she is not sure.
“Five years, I don’t know. It may not decrease… we have to work very hard.”
The NBCC Peace Director, Rev Kari Longchar, was more optimistic, “It is our hope that it (AIDS infection) will be greatly reduced.”
It may be mentioned that the NBCC as the apex Baptist church organisation has taken up various issues related with the society and the state as a whole, and this AIDS fight which they have taken up has got a lot of positive response from the people, though with apprehension at first. However, with the number of infection of the disease ever growing, it remains to be seen how far the noble work of the church in the fight against the disease will make a difference.
