Priets Guide HIV-VF_EN

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"Truth and love are beyond prejudice"

Preventing HIV/AIDS and Family Violence

Pastoral Guide for activities performed in the parish

"Strengthening Community Programs Addressing HIV/AIDS &

Family Violence in Romania"


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PREVENTING HIV/AIDS AND FAMILY VIOLENCE

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Pastoral Guide for activities performed in the parish

Bucharest2007


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The copyright for this publication belongs to IOCC Romania.The partial or total reproduction of this material is only allowed with the consent of

IOCC Romania and provided that the source be mentioned.

The publication of this manual was possible due to the generous support provided

by the American people through the United States Agency for International Development(USAID), within the cooperation agreement 186-A-00-05-00101-00. The opinionsexpressed belong to the authors and they do not necessarily reflect USAID points of view.

IOCCCopyright 2006, - International Orthodox Christian Charities Inc.

ISBN: 978-973-842-27-1International Orthodox Christian Charities OrganizationThe Project "Prevention and fighting against HIV/AIDS infection and family

violence"15 Unirii Boulevard, building 3, entrance 1, 4th floor, apartment 15040102 Bucharest, RomaniaTelephone no. 031 405 77 94

Facsimile no. 021 33 66 238www.iocc.org

CIP description of the National Library of RomaniaPreventing HIV/AIDS and family violence: Pastoral Guide for activities performed in

the parish - Bucharest, Speed Promotion 2007ISBN 978-973-8942-27-1

616-008.6 SIDA (AIDS)

316.613.43:316.356.2
http://www.iocc.org/http://www.iocc.org/http://www.iocc.org/


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Preamble

Chapter 1 Why is this guide useful 5

Chapter 2 HIV/AIDS: real facts and knowledge 8

Chapter 3 Family violence: real facts and knowledge 10

Chapter 4 How can you approach subjects pertaining to HIV/AIDS and

family violence in community

13

Chapter 5 Services / Sermons / Religious teachings about HIV/AIDS and

family violence

15

Chapter 6 Pastoral visits 17

Chapter 7 Philanthropic committees 20

Chapter 8 Initiative clubs for the youth 23

Chapter 9 Campaigns targeted for informing and raising awareness 27

Chapter 10 Activities in schools 30

Chapter 11 Resources in the field of HIV/AIDS and family violence 32


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Your Holiness,We send you today, together with the other materials that you have received

throughout the entire period of the informative workshops that you have attended withinour project Consolidating community initiatives for the prevention of HIV/AIDS and familyviolence in Romania, the present pastoral guide that we hope will be useful for your

mission as a shepherd of the flock of God and will allow you to provide pastoral support tothe people who are affected, one way or another, by these serious problems.

This guide is the result of the collaboration between the Romanian Patriarchy andthe international organization International Orthodox Christian Charities for the above-mentioned project. The guide is not an exhaustive one, it only meant for orientation andrecommendation purposes pertaining to how your holiness might interact with theparishioners you shepherd, both with those suffering from these stigmata and with thepeople who might make them suffer. The authors are aware that the typology of each andevery case is unique and that there are no recommendations that can exactly fit allsituations; that is why, your holiness is to decide which is the best way to act, dependingon specific factors.

Our intention was to make this guide an instrument that could be easily used, bycombining the theological support for the priest's action in preventing and fighting againstHIV/AIDS and domestic violence with technical information, advice and behavior modelsinspired from the activity of some of your holiness' colleagues. However, the mostimportant and comprehensive guide remains the Word of God the living an working, suchas it revealed by the Holy Scripture and such as it was felt and interpreted by the HolyFathers.

Therefore, the present guide wishes to be a benchmark that you can use in buildinga strategy for approaching these phenomena and the victims they make, within the contextof the group of people that you shepherd as the followers of our Lord and Saviour, JesusChrist, who calls us, saying:Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared

for you from the foundation of the world: for I was ahungered, and ye gave me meat; I wasthirsty, and ye gave me drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me in; naked, and ye clothedme; I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. [] Verily I sayunto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye havedone it unto me. (Matthew 25: 34-40).

BISHOP(scanned signature here)

CIPRIAN CMPINEANULPatriarchy Curate

PATRIARCHAL ADVISER(scanned signature here)Professor Dorel-Nicolae MOOC


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Chapter 1 Why is this guide useful

Ye are the salt of the earth. []Ye are the light of the world (Matthew 5: 13-14)

In his parrish, the priest works at two levels: for the community and personally. He is theservant of the community that he shepherds on the whole and he is the spiritual father

of each and every one of the community members. This double mission makes him akey-person in the spiritual life of the community, but also in the social life of thecommunity. Thus, he must be at the same time the guider of the spiritual life of hisparishioners, the adviser of those who are in difficulty, he must be of assistance eitherwith his words or with his deeds, he is the engine of the individual, community or extra-community resources for the welfare of the entire community or of a part of itsmembers, and also the mediator between the sons of his "flock". All these and evenmore make the priest's mission in his community such a complex and sometimesdifficult one, which needs a lot of love, sacrifice, the power to understand, patience andperseverance, diplomacy, tolerance and "understanding for the human powerlessness",as father Arsenie Boca said. When it comes to preventing HIV/AIDS and family violence

in his own community, all these qualities must be fully used.

The purpose of the priest is to correctly inform, with no trace of passion or bias, in sucha way that the members of the community be finally able to make decisions freely and infull awareness. For this purpose, it is necessary that the priest himself be informed andknow what are the instruments at his disposal and how to use them in order to help hisparishioners.

That is why we provide your holiness with the present guide, which is intended to be apractical tool for all the priests that want to inform their parishioners by correctlyinforming them, by guiding them and by supporting them in their efforts to change theirattitudes and mentalities pertaining to HIV/AIDS and family violence.

The 10 chapters that follow will provide some answers to the basic questions that thosewho wish to become involve in the process of preventing HIV/AIDS and family violenceask at the beginning:

What do I need to know about the problems approached?

What is my role as a priest in preventing the two problems within theparish/community?

What can I actually do and how can I act efficiently?Chapters 2 and 3 provide basic and essential information about the specific aspects ofHIV/AIDS and family violence. Here you will find out what either of the two phenomenais - real facts but also myths that were created around them - you will find out thespecificity of HIV/AIDS and family violence in Romania, and what can the priest do atlocal level in order to prevent and reduce the two phenomena.

In chapter 4 you will find a list with the instruments that both the priest and communitymembers have at their disposal in order to efficiently approach the two problems. Theseinstruments and how they can be put into practice will be described in chapters 5-10 ofthe guide. The description made were intended to be as succinct as possible and useful

for the daily activity of priests, by answering questions such as why?, when?and how?to use each instrument proposed. We have emphasized practical recommendations inorder to obtain the maximum effect at community level. Also, in each chapter we have


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tried to present a case/a practical example of a priest who has successfully used theinstrument/intervention method described in the chapter in question. All examples givenwere extracted from the practical activities performed during the past two years by thepriests who have benefited from the project Strengthening Community ProgramsAddressing HIV/AIDS and Family Violence in Romania.

The guide ends with chapter 11, which provides those who wish to act efficiently with a

list of resources in the field of HIV/AIDS and family violence organizations/institutions/church and laic structures that have a certain decisive role andwhich can support community initiatives associated to the two phenomena.


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Chapter 2 HIV/AIDS: real facts and knowledge

What do we know about HIV/AIDS?

HIV is the short name for the Human Immunodeficiency Virus. This virus enters thehuman body and affects the immune system - the system that protects the body againstinfections. AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) is the advanced stage of theHIV infection. At this point, the defense system of the affected person is so weak that itcan no longer fight any virus or microbe from the outside. In this phase, even a commoninfection can cause death. Is is possible that those who are HIV infected only haveserious symptoms when they reach the AIDS stage.

Currently, this disease is incurable. There are treatments for HIV-infected persons, butthese treatments only have the role of delaying the evolution of the disease.

Besides the serious health problems and the fact that they may become lethal, HIV-

infected persons are also affected by the ignorance and the stigmatization of the peoplearound them. These are even more painful than the disease itself.

At present, HIV/AIDS affects more than 42 million people worldwide. AIDS kills a personevery 6 seconds.

True and "False" about how HIV is transmitted

One of the strongest barriers in communication between HIV-infected persons and themembers of the community where they live is the very rich folklore created arou nd themeans of HIV-transmittance, myths that were only generated by the failure to know the

truth, which was maintained throughout the years because of the natural fear thatpeople generally feel when faced with the disease.

True: It is true that HIV is transmitted by:

unprotected sexual intercourse;

sharing syringe needles (the most exposed are those who use injectable drugs);

contact with the blood of an infected person;

contact with unsterilized sharp and pointed objects in hospital, dental surgeries, inbeauty parlours or tattoo salons;

from the mother to the fetus (during pregnancy, at birth or by breastfeeding).

False": It is as false as can be that HIV can be transmitted by:

living in the same space as an infected person;

sharing tableware and dishes with an infected person;

touching, hugging or kissing;

sharing the toilet, the pool, sports equipment or toys;

eating food that was prepared by an HIV-infected person;

insects stings;

contact with the tears and saliva of an HIV-infected person.


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HIV/AIDS in Romania

The specificity of the HIV/AIDS epidemics in Romania consists in the massive presence ofthe HIV infection among children at the end of the 80s. It is generally considered that thefact of having used blood and untested blood-generated products and having used

unsterile medical tools between 1987-1991 has led to the infection with HIV of thousand ofnew-born babies, suckling and small children. On the 31st of December 2005, there were16,258 cumulate cases of HIV/AIDS cases in Romania (compared to 14,353 as reported atthe end of 2003 and 15,471 as reported in 2004). Of these, 11,741 (almost three quarters)were children.

Every year, on the 1st of December, the entire world celebrated the World AIDS Day, a daydedicated to fighting HIV/AIDS. Romania marks this day by different events andcampaigns. On this occasion, each and every one of us can show solidarity with HIV-infected persons or with those affected by HIV.

Face to face with the HIV/AIDS problem as a shepherd and spiritual father

The pain that people cause to those living with HIV/AIDS, by discriminating andstigmatizing them, is even greater than the pain they feel after they find out that they areHIV positive. The fury, the depression and desperation almost chokes the people whoknow they are sick. In such moments, more than ever, they need the support of thosearound them, so that can they get out of this crazy tail-spin. In such moments, more thanever, they need to hear from those around them: we love you just as much as before, weare here for you, you are still the same. Lets not forget that Jesus Christ loves all of usand that He makes no discrimination.

What can the priest do?

He can provide spiritual guidance (pastoral guidance) to HIV-infected persons andto their relatives;

He can speak privately or publicly (in his sermons or on other occasions) aboutHIV/AIDS, in order to correctly inform community members about this subject;

He can sensitize the public about the drama of the people infected with HIV, whichare also left aside because of this;

He can prepare special prayers for the sick persons and he can say them togetherwith the parishioners;

He can deliver special services or sermons and or together with his parishioners, hecan say special prayers in the memory of the victims;

He can join intra-community or intra-community campaigns or events organized forsolving this problem, or he can organize himself such events.


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Chapter 3 Family violence: real facts and knowledge

What is family violence?

According to the law, family violence is "any physical or verbal action committedintentionally by a member of the family against another member of the same family,an action that causes physical, mental or sexual suffering or material prejudice".This category includes: physical violence, psychical (or mental) violence, emotionalviolence, sexual violence, social violence and economic violence.

Family violence in Romania

Family violence is a phenomenon that is perceived as an almost normal one in theRomanian society. The real dimension of the phenomenon in Romania is not known,but it is estimated to be a very serious phenomenon. Former communist countries(including our country) reports less cases of family violence than other Europeancountries. This is explained however not by the apparently low incidence of thephenomenon, but by the fact that there are no systems for adequate reporting andacknowledgement and that the level of tolerance towards this phenomenon is very high.

Romanians do not necessarily consider that family violence is a problem. The cultureand the customs of the traditional Romanian community do not encourage or supportthe victims of this phenomenon to take measures, but on the contrary, the victims arerecommended to continue bearing their cross. However, there are very few people whohave any idea how tough, unfair, inhuman, humiliating, destructive and especially how

useless is this sacrifice made for the selfishness, frustration, insensibility and powerdesire of the abuser.

According to the Study for Health Reproduction performed in Romania in 20041, morethan a quarter of the adult women and men have declared that in their childhood theywitnessed acts of violence between their parents. Children learn by imitation. In thiscontext, the family represents the pattern that provides the child with value, knowledgeand models of behavior. 60% of the adults who have a violent behavior towards theirpartners were brought up in family where there was violence.

The same study shows that more than a quarter (29%) of the women who were married at

the moment when the survey was conducted or previously to that moment, have suffered aform of aggression from their partners (this meaning verbal, physical or sexual violence),while more than a half (51%) of the interviewed men who were married at that time orbefore, have reported verbal aggression towards their partners.

1 The Study of Reproduction Health: Romania, 2004, SYNTHETIC REPORT, May 2005;Ministry of Health, World Bank, UNFPA, USAID, UNICEF


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However, the glass can be also seen as half full, if we take into account the fact that thisbehavior can be changed by a new learning process, as this type of behavior is learnt.

Starting with 2003, Romania has had a specific legislation and a national strategy forpreventing and fighting family violence. These stipulate the fact that citizens have the civicand moral duty to intervene in defending the victim and in announcing the authorizedintervention body, should they directly or indirectly witness an act of family violence.

Priests and the problem of family violence

The problem of family violence is a complex one and it cannot be solved within a shortinterval of time, by means of the simple existence of a legal frame and by the efforts ofonly a few people. This needs actions developed on several levels, the involvement ofpublic institutions, of non-governmental organizations and of the role models existing atlocal and national level.

Due to his position of leader and role model that it has in the community, the priest has thevery means that may bring this problem to the communitys attention. Besides, the priest'sstatus provides him with the credibility and confidence of his parishioners. These

advantages can be efficiently and successfully used for trying to prevent family violencefrom becoming an even bigger problem.

What can the priest do for the victims who confess the drama they have been through?

He will create an environment filled with warmth and openness;

He will show respect and understanding for the victims feelings and to accept theseas normal behavior within the given context and situation;

He will not question what the victims tell him;

He will try to make the victims believe that the problem can be solved and they havethe possibility to solve it;

He will persuade the victims that they are not guilty of anything, clearly emphasizingthe fact that the "aggressor has no justification or excuse for what they have done"and that "no one should be abused, irrespective of what they might have done;


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He will try to find out if there are other persons who are affected (family or friends);

He will provide spiritual support.

The priest may have several types of interventions within the community. Among these wecan mention:

To take a public stand against the phenomenon that is family violence;

To educate young people for their family life, both before marriage and on importantoccasions such as marriage or baptism;

To inform the entire community about the problem of family violence and to educatehis parishioners to find peaceful solutions for solving the conflicts;

To initiate public talks (during sermons or on other occasions) or private talks(during pastoral visits) about family violence, in order to correctly inform communitymembers about this subject;

To guide victims towards specialty services existing within the community or outsidethe community.


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Chapter 4 How can you approach subjects pertaining to HIV/AIDS and familyviolence in community

It is true that HIV/AIDS and family violence represent sensitive topics for many people.There are many persons who prefer not to talk about such issues and who adopt values,

attitudes and behaviors without being informed and without thinking too much on theseissues. The priests mission is not an easy one for communicating and inspiring the valuesand attitudes that are correct and desirable from the Christian point of view. Prejudice,attitudes, mentalities, behavior models are difficult to change and therefore hard andcontinual work is needed to make a difference.

If he wants his interventions to be efficient, the priest must take into account certain key-factors:

Involving other relevant community agents in the field and collaborating with themwill facilitate the development and implementation of activities in the community;

Identifying intra-community and extra-community help and assistance resources for

the victims will facilitate the victims' access to such resources;Involving the priests wife in preventing and fighting the two problems will enhancethe effect of the priests activities and actions.

There are several practical ways for the priest to become involved:

He can take a public stand pertaining to the two problems during the sermon,religious teaching or on other occasions when he addresses the public: publicgatherings, round table discussions, articles published in the local media, etc. (seechapter 5);

He can inform and sensitize community members, either individually or together

with other role models for the communitypastoral visits (see chapter 6);He can act to reactivate and support the activity of community support groupsthat function within the parish (parish/philanthropic committees) (see chapter 7);

He can collaborate with the religion teacher of the community to establish a youthclub (see chapter 8);

He can collaborate with the religion teacher of the community and/or with otherteachers to organize and perform extra-curricular activities in schools (seechapter 10);

Together with the community or parish members, he can elaborate and performactions and activities pertaining to the two problems awareness campaigns (seechapter 9).

To make sure that the activities proposed are successful, it is recommended thatcommunity members be involved in each stage of activities performance: elaboration,implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the activities. Thus, community members willbe more motivated and, besides, they will have the chance to better understand theproblems of those for whom they perform such activities.

How can community members become individually involved

By participating in activities pertaining to HIV/AIDS and family violence prevention,together with the priest and/or the teacher, either individually or within the parish /philanthropic committee;

By involving the other community members in private talks, with the purpose ofinforming them about these problems, of raising awareness and sensitizing themabout these issues;


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By participating in the activities of the community support groups (parish /philanthropic committees) that were initiated or reactivated by the priest;

By initiating such activities at community level or by collaborating with the priestand/or the teacher for developing such actions;

By taking a stand when they witness an act of family violence or a discriminatorytreatment towards an HIV-infected person.

However, before beginning any initiative, including one pertaining to HIV/AIDS prevention,please remember that your actions are and should ultimately be actions for communitydevelopment, that is actions made together with community members for communitymembers. Therefore, irrespective that you work with the adults or the children of thecommunity; remember to respect and to enforce the following principles in yourintervention:

Fundamental Principles of Community Development:

1. The problems of a community are best identified and defined by the members of the

community in question.

2. The best solutions for local problems are given by community members.

3. The people from a community are capable of acting in order to solve communityproblems.


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Chapter 5 Services / Sermons / Religious teachings about HIV/AIDS and familyviolence

The divine cult is the most important component element of the pastoral activity of thepriest. The liturgical service celebrated during the divine cult is a very good occasion for

the priest to approach topics that are of interest for the community, including the topicspertaining to the prevention of HIV/AIDS and family violence. As the guide and spiritualleader of the community, the priest can explain his parishioners the aspects of the issue, inorder to inform and sensitize them, either for a prophylactic purpose or a reparatory one (ifthe problem already exists) and he can provide them with solutions for approaching andsolving such issues, as seen from an evangelical perspective.

It is true that the topics proposed are more difficultly approachable because many of theparishioners refuse to change their views and because many lack correct information. Thatis why it is important that community members be gradually sensitized towards theseissues. The most important aspect is that the action must be continual and constant. For

example, it is a very unrealistic solution to talk only once about family violence and expectthat this is enough, that everyone has understood the problem and that everyone nowknows that this is a real issue. Tolerance for the people living with HIV/AIDS, notdiscriminating sick people and respecting their rights, peacefully solving family matters andavoiding violence, respect for ones family and for the other members of the community, allthese are topics that must be constantly discussed, in different contexts, throughoutseveral months and even years, in order to obtain durable results.

Recommendations how to include aspects pertaining to HIV/AIDS and familyviolence in sermons and religious teachings

Some parishioners may wrongly understand certain excerpts from the Bible or from theteachings of the Holy Parents, excerpts that directly or indirectly refer to illnesses orsickness, to sick people, to the relation between spouses or between parents and childrenand to family violence. Let us remember how the last verse from the teachings that areread during the service for Holy Matrimony used to be and still is interpreted: [...]and thewife see that she reverence her husband (Ephesians 5:33). That is why, in order toexplain them, the priest must provide the historical, cultural or dogmatic context of what issaid, he must use an easily-accessible language, words that everyone understands andfewer metaphores, words or abstract notions that some people may find difficult tounderstand. Above all, the priest must constantly remind his parishioners that God is love

(1 John 4:8) and that where there is love, there is no room for violence, intolerance anddiscrimination.

There are several Sundays when the priests read excerpts from the Holy Scripture thatcan be a good starting point for including the aspects pertaining to HIV/AIDS and familyviolence in the sermon. For example, the Sundays when the priests read the gospels thatspeak about miraculous healings (the healing of the ten leprous, the healing of the ill manin Capernaum, the healing of the ill man of Beth-za'tha, the healing of the blind man, thehealing of the servant of the centurion, the healing of the two blind man and of the dumbman, in Capernaum and the healing of the hunchback woman. These are appropriateoccasions for including in the sermons topics about non-discrimination and tolerance for

the people living with HIV/AIDS.


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Other Sundays with very appropriate Gospels are: The 19th Sunday after Pentecost,where we read: And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise(Luke 6, 31-36). This attitude can be inspired to people for both issues. The Gospel read inthe Sunday of the Sermon on the Mount is just as good a source for sermon topics,especially when we remind the third Beatitude: Blessed are the meek..., and so is theSermon of the Good Samaritan. Besides the examples provided above, there are other

Gospels and sermons, and not only on Sundays and on religious holidays, by means ofwhich Christ speaks about family, love, compassion for the others. They can very wellrepresent the starting point for sermons and religious teachings pertaining to HIV/AIDSand family violence.

The religious teachings, considered as a good moment when the priest can approach thetwo issues, have certain advantages compared to the sermon:

it allows dialoguebetween the priest and its parishioners; the religious teachingsare given in an interactive frame, which is more appropriate for discussions; theparishioners have the opportunity to express their opinions, their doubts, they canask questions, clarify certain aspects of the Christian teachings, to correlate these

teachings with actual facts / every day life and to find new ways of putting Christianteachings into practice during their daily activities;

they represent the best grounds for a future better reception and understanding ofthe priest's words during liturgy (mass) and sermon.

Key-factors for the success of a sermon or of religious teachings pertaining toHIV/AIDS or family violence

Use simple words and meanings, that can be understood by all communitymembers; using a language that is not adapted to the capacity of understanding ofthe public may result in the incorrect understanding of the information;

Provide accurate and correct information about HIV/AIDS and family violence;

Provide examples and make connections with everyday life, but remember not toname persons;

Explain what would be the correct attitude in real life for example, tolerance for anHIV-infected person and underline the essence and the Christian justification ofthis attitude.


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Chapter 6 Pastoral visits

By the nature of his mission, the priest interacts with the parishioners "everywhere and atall time, either with or without time". Whenever he meets his parishioners, either in the

public or in the private space, he has the opportunity to teach them, to decipher theScriptures for them, to guide them, to listen to them and to answer to their questions. Thesermon, the confession and religious services performed at the believers homes(consecration and blessing of the houses in the four important fasting periods of each yearof upon the express request of the believers, the services performed for the dead, etc) arethe most common occasions that the priest can use to fulfill their teaching mission.

In the church tradition there is yet another very efficient practice: pastoral visits.Unfortunately today, in Romanian parishes, the impact of this method of interactionbetween the priest and the parishioners has dramatically decreased. The communistregime has obliged the priest to limit contacts with his parishioners strictly to the liturgical

context. In time, parishioners have ceased to feel the need to talk to the priest in theirhomes, besides the religious services that were specifically asked for.

Today, the priests' pastoral visits are generally limited to the visits made for the servicesmade during important fasting period, to the visits made to the parishioners' homes onChristmas or for the holiday celebrating the Baptism of Jesus Christ or to the consecrationof homes before this holiday. The pastoral practice has taught that these moments do notalways benefit from adequate contexts or from the time that might be necessary for anefficient conversation with the parishioners that the priest visits. However, the challenges,complex social and spiritual problems that parishioners in Romanian communities facenowadays, including problems pertaining to HIV/AIDS and family violence, make it moreand more obvious that the above-mentioned moments are no longer enough for the priestto be able to accomplish his mission.

Pastoral visits can decisively contribute to the priest becoming closer to his parishionersand to the consolidation of the relation between priest and church-goers. The latter willstart seeing the priest such as he should be perceived as: a spiritual father and a friend, atrustworthy person, with whom the y can share their emotions, thoughts and intentions, aperson who can provide good advice. Pastoral visits allow the priest to better know hisparishioners, the situation of each family, the realities and specific problems that a familyor a person faces every day, which allows the priest to adjust his message and his

approach. This is absolutely necessary if they want to succeed in efficiently approachingsensible subjects, such as HIV and family violence.

By using this instrument for the prevention of the two problems, either when taking a publicstand during the sermon or at such moments, the priest may render this action moreefficient. During a pastoral visit, the priest may speak more and provide details about aparticular problem, and he can explain any misunderstandings or doubts that church goersmight have. This is another reason why pastoral visits are an essential instrument whenapproaching such problems existing within the parish.

However, one must take into account the fact that the information and sensitization of parishioners for theproblem of HIV/AIDS and family violence cannot be obtained after only one visit, but in time, following anintervention that should combine several types of activities: pastoral visits, sermons, school information,activities with parishioners' children, together with the religion teacher, community activities for raising


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awareness of the public opinion on the topics, together with the members of the parish/philanthropiccommittee and with other important agents, etc.

Key factors for the success of pastoral visits

Draw up and enforce a strategy for accustoming parishioners with the idea of

pastoral visits besides the usual visits made during important fasting periods withina year:

Start promoting the idea of pastoral visits besides the habitual visits made onChristmas, on the Baptism of Jesus Christ and on Easter; you can start thisprocess during the sermon, for example;

Draw up a plan for visiting the families in the parish and schedule a certainperiod of time; be as realistic as possible when drawing up this schedule;

Establish beforehand the topics that you wish to approach; you can startthinking about any possible issues or questions that church goers might raiseand prepare answers to such possible questions;

Apply the policy of small steps:Consolidate the trust capital you have been given from your parishioners;

Search for contact with church goers; get them accustomed to your presenceamong them, in such a a way that your presence could offer them thepsychological comfort they need to receive you in the intimacy of their home;

During the first visits, avoid to approach highly emotional topics that mightgenerate controversies and tensioned moments;

Provide accurate information; because it is impossible to know how much peopleknow about HIV/AIDS and family violence, you should be the one providingaccurate information, although it may seem that you repeat the information. Thus,you make sure that the parishioners have received accurate information following

the talk with you;Make sure that the message you send is unitarily and consistently sent from onevisited family to another;

Make up simple messages:when drawing up the messages, you should use shortsentences and use simple words, that are easily understood by everyone;

Communicate non-verbally:verbal communication is important, but you should bejust as careful with your non-verbal language and with the non-verbal language ofthe others: position, posture, gestures, face mimics, eye contact.

Non-verbal language says more than you manage to

transmit by words. A good non-verbal languagecontributes to better fixing the information that is sentverbally, thus transmitting to the audience the feelingthat what you say is well-grounded, useful, accurate

and true and that you, as the person telling suchinformation, are well-intended and that you yourself

believe in the message you sends.


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Be an active listenerduring pastoral visits:

try to listen more and talk less;

"listen beyond words, and understand what your interlocutors transmit bynon-verbal language; try to find out the feelings, preoccupations and worriesexisting behind the words spoken;

do not try to dominate or monopolize the conversation;

do not turn the conversation into a sermon;be permanently aware of your own attitudes and gestures;

make sure that you have understood correctly what you are told, by askingclarifying answers, by rephrasing or paraphrasing what you hear;

let the interlocutor say only what they are ready to say; do not leave theimpression that you insist upon a certain topic;

do not judge the interlocutor or the situations he or she was in;

do not provide solutions; help the interlocutors identify the solutions theyneed. Thus, it will be easier for the interlocutor to put the solution intopractice.

Keep a diary for the discussions, in such a way as to be able to know the situationof each interlocutor, what you have discussed, what their reactions were and whichthe conclusions were.


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Chapter 7 Philanthropic committees

It is desirable that there be local initiative groups in any community, groups which are toreunite those members that wish to become involved voluntarily, actively and in anorganized manner in identifying and solving social problems that appear within the

community they represent. There is such a structure within our parishes, with such anobjective: the parish committee that we have called a philanthropic committee, in order toidentify, from the very name of the organization, its distinct objective.

Therefore, the philanthropic committee is not necessarily a new structure within the parish.The committee can be made up of the members of the parish committee, but it can alsoinclude other new members or it can be made up only of new numbers. It is essential thatthe number of people that make up the committee act by their own will, constantly,unitarily, efficiently and in a planned manner in order to attain its purpose: to help theothers, in the spirit of Christian love, by becoming involved in the philanthropic activity ofthe Church, but also by supporting the civic and social initiatives of local authorities.

In order to make the activity of the committee more efficient and to make sure that theactions are well received in the community, it is very important that the members of theparish committee be active persons from the life of the community, and at the same timepeople that the other members of the community know and respect.

In order to facilitate the activity of the philanthropic committee and interaction among itsmembers, ever since the committee is established or reactivated, it is important to agreeupon functioning rules for the committee and the purpose and mission of the structure.These aspects become really helpful the moment when the group must react to a certainproblem, to make a decision or to perform a project in the benefit of the community.

Key factors for the success of the activity of the philanthropic committee

Activate/reactivate/consolidate these committees if the parish committee onlyexists on a formal level, the priest can take the initiative to reactivate it as aphilanthropic committee; if the committee exists but does not work properly, thepriest can consolidate or revive it, by transmitting the model of the philanthropiccommittee to its structure, to the way it functions and to its activities. The priest willbe the one who will establish the first meeting, will announce and summon themembers, will establish the agenda and the topics for discussion and will monitor

the enforcement of the aspects agreed upon, by involving community members inall of these stages, as much as possible.

Help the group obtain its own identity:

encourage the members of the committee, especially during the firstmeetings, to get to know each other, to find out new things about the othersand to discover their individual abilities and their experience;

Encourage them to talk and agree upon their purpose and objectivesas ateam/committee, to establish an action planthat they are to put into practice;

Make sure that the members of the committee have talked about and haveagreed clear rules for making decisions and clear rules for teamwork, rulesthat are to guide their activity (very often people tend to establish what

should be done, but to fail to answer how to actually do what they haveproposed).


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Help them feel that the initiatives belong to them. Thus, you will help them takeresponsibilities for the initiatives in their capacity of members of theparish/community:

Encourage the members of the committee to become involved in making thedecisions and in putting the decisions into practice;

You should avoid imposing your own points of view or to express opinions

about the members of the group, but you must take on responsibility forfacilitating the process of making wise decisions.

Guide the members of the committee to initiate, at first, smaller sized activitiesandhelp them put their ideas into practice, in order to help them be successful. This isessential for the beginning, for consolidating the trust of the team in their ownforces;

Celebrate each successobtained by the committee. It is important that people feelgood when they work together, to be proud that they belong to a group, that theyhave performed a special action together, to have the chance to be happy for theirresults. You can even turn the festive moment in a celebration/an event of theentire community. This will very well consolidate the spirit of the community and thefeeling of belonging to and being responsible for the community and the membersof the community;

When adjusting the activities of the philanthropic committee to the local needsit isvery important for the members of the committee to identify the needs of thecommunity and of the parishioners when initiating and performing their activity.

Make sure that the community is well represented within the committee: thephilanthropic committee should also include representatives of all social or ethnicgroups of the community, which might present even better the needs and problemsof the groups in question. Also, the group should also include the members of thecommunity who can provide resources of any kind (time, money, material

resources, access to decisions, etc.) for putting the activities into practice;Collaborate with local institutions (medical surgery, police department, city hall,school, etc.), depending on the needs of the community; this collaboration canfacilitate the involvement of local authorities in solving certain problems; therepresentatives of these institutions can be invited to take part in the philanthropiccommittee (if they are interested and if they have time);

Identify and facilitate a space where the meetings, activity planning andcoordination could take place (for example the parish house, the church, the school,etc.);

Facilitate the process of human resources development; Identify training/teachingand information needs of the members of the philanthropic committee; facilitate

their participation in different continual training courses provided for adults by localor regional non-governmental organizations, in different teams, such as localdevelopment, project management, planning, teamwork, etc.

And maybe the most important aspect pertaining to the good functioning of thephilanthropic committee is, as we have said before, that people be a team, not just astructure.

Successful examples in the activity of philanthropic committees

The village of Ocolna of Dolj County, is a small community, mostly made up of Romapopulation. In 2006, from the projects initiative, a philanthropic committee wasestablished, which was mainly formed by the teachers from the village school, as besides


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the Church, the school is considered to be an institution with formal authority in thecommunity. We should mention that the committee team also includes the Romaniteacher, a person who is very appreciated and respected by family members.One of the activities performed by the philanthropic committee was a small campaigntargeted to inform about HIV/AIDS, as the people living in Ocolna had no information aboutHIV/AIDS. Once the theme of the campaign was established, the members of the

philanthropic committee, together with the village priest, have asked for the help of theIOCC project team from the county and the help of the representatives of the socialdepartment of the Metropolitan Sear of Oltenia, especially during planning. They haveprovided assistance and they have given all necessary specialty information. The teachersfrom the philanthropic committee have benefited from a short local training, which wasespecially focused on communication methods. The event was previously announcedduring PTA meetings, so that community members be not surprised when the activity wasto start.A printed material was drawn up, which was adapted to the needs and specificity of thetarget population it was printed in All caps so that it could be more easily readable.Drawings were also used. The message was unitary and well-established, and therefore

all members of the committee sent the same information. On the day established (duringthe week-end), the members of the philanthropic committee met at school and they madeup teams of two people. Each team chose a street and they went door to door, initiatingindividual and group conversations with the people living in the village. They explained intheir own words, with words that could be understood by their interlocutors, what HIV/AIDSis, how it is transmitted, what protection methods there are. At the end of theconversations they also gave the leaflets they have previously prepared. They invitedyoung people who showed to be more interested in the subject to meet them afterwards(on the following week-end) and continue the discussion.


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Chapter 8 Initiative clubs for the youth

The initiative club for the youth is a specific type of social action targeted to young people,an action that the priest can initiate in his parish, either alone or in collaboration with the

religion teacher and/or other teachers from the school. The purpose of the youth club is toform and strengthen young people's character, so that they might grow up to beresponsible members of the parish and of the community, to be able to make informed andresponsible decisions, to show compassion, tolerance, respect for the others, to be braveand honest. The activities of the club combine the process of learning by practical projectsfor the community with fun and spending the spare time in a pleasant way. These activitiescan concentrate on community problems such as HIV/AIDS and family violence, but otherproblems can be discussed, as for example: poverty, environment pollution, drugconsumption or other problems that are important for young people and for the community.

The club can be made up of children and young people from the community, but also from

children and young people from outside the community. They should always take partvoluntarily in the activities of the club. In parallel with keeping and promoting the Christianvalues and morality, the clubs should be open for the entire community, not closed withinthe orthodox parish. That is why the clubs must be encouraged to include gender diversity,diversity of social, economic, religious and ethnic status of their members, in such a waythat the clubs themselves promote tolerance and accepting, collaboration for the commonwelfare, beyond any differences. The participation of children and young people in theyouth club activity can be beneficial not only for young people, but also for their parents,because the messages promoted will also get to parents, through the young people.

The activities of the club must be established together with the youth, depending on theirinterests and options, and then adjusted for the purpose or objective mentioned above.The young people can organize and perform projects for the community in several areas ofinterest, such as: culture and education, civic education, environment protection, helpingpoor families. Here are some examples of projects: Christmas Caroling(singing carols forchildren from poor families who live within the community, singing carols in hospital or insocial assistance institutions); the Good Samaritan (gathering and donating products fordisfavoured members of the community), Cleaning Days(involving community members incleaning common spaces). These activities can be accompanied by or even bearcompassion messages or urges to tolerance and social involvement, including messagespertaining to HIV/AIDS and family violence prevention.

Premises for the success of the initiative club for the youth

limited alternatives or no alternatives for young people to spend their spare timeleave room for such an initiative;

the natural enthusiasm that is specific for children and teenagers;

the natural desire of humans, therefore of young people, to feel that they are usefuland to work for the benefit of the others.


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Key factors for success

the relation of the priest with young people should be warm, human, it must bebased on mutual respect and on understanding the needs and specificity of the ageof the members of the club;

encouraging voluntariate; young people must voluntarily become involved in theactivities of the club, and not because their parents or teachers have sent them tojoin the club;

involving the members of the club in actions for the development and coordinationof activities;

including recreational activities amongst the clubs activities such activities aremeant to answer to the natural need of young people to have fun;

the collaboration between the priest of the community with the religion teacher; thelatter directly interacts with young people at school, during religion classes, andthey inform the youngsters about the fact that there is such a club, about the topicsand problems approached when meetings are held;

there should be a place where the club activities are to be performed: the parishhouse, the church, the school, the cultural house (if there is such a place), but alsoother places, depending on each community resources; also, there should beminimum material elements that could be used for the activities (stationery, books,movies, audio-video equipment, furniture, etc.). These can be provided by theparish, by the members of the community or by local or central non-governmentalorganizations that function in this field.

It is very important that you do not try to turn the club in to an "annex of the Church.The club can be a means of bringing young people closer to the Church, but they

should walk freely on this path and they should want and ask for this thing themselves.

Successful examples in the activity of initiative clubs for the youth

EXAMPLE 1: OnestinThroughout the period when the project was implemented, we have seen several goodpractice examples for organizing youth clubs. One of these examples is Onestin, a groupof kind young people of the city Onesti, who have gather around two priests that are justas kind. Everything began in 2002, when the two priests organized a choir for singingcarols on Christmas. Young people were very eager to participate. Their objective was to

sing carols for their colleagues, professors and families. Carol singers continued theirmission even in the following years, and they started singing carols for more and morepeople: local institutions and local public authorities, local companies, etc. Today, they areregular visitors in the city, and people cannot wait to see them wearing Santa Clausecostumes and wandering the streets singing carols.

But the relations amongst them became even stronger and they decided to do more thansing carols once a year. With the money they have collected and having been efficientlyorganized by the two priests, the youngsters went on their first trip: they went to see"Sambata de Sus" monastery near Fagaras and they went higher into the mountain, atRameti. When they returned, they realized how good they felt together and they wished to

spend even more time as a group. In the following years, the same priests organizeddifferent activities with and for the youngsters. These activities turned into regular activitiesand have consolidated the group. Today, the group meets or executes an activity at least


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once a week. They take trips in nature, they play football, volleyball, they have themeparties, where they sing, eat pizzas and dance, they attend church services together, theyact in theatre plays that they themselves organize, they go to the movies together, theyparticipate in charity activities, they learn games, they learn how to play folk and rockmusic, these and many others are the activities that youngsters do, every day coordinatedby the two priests.

The moment they became a non-governmental organization, their activities became morenumerous and more diverse. Besides, they created their own website (www.onestin.ro), sothat the entire world could hear about them. They have kept the choir and they createdtheir own theatre team and moreover, they succeeded in directing two plays that wouldmake even the professionals jealous. They have organized the Day of Christian Women.They organized a campaign against divorce, by giving leaflets that were meant to informand to raise awareness about this problem. They organized a fund raising campaign in thecity in order to financially support their activities and they succeeded in raising animportant amount of money. Their most recent achievement is the fact that they haveaccessed funds within our project for a small project targeted to prevent violence at home

and violence in schools.

Everything was organized together with the two priests, with hard work and manysacrifices. Today, Onestin is a living body, a kind of missionary parish of youngsters, abody that breathes, is born and feeds on life and love for everything that is good andbeautiful. Thus, youngsters step on this lane together with the priests who coordinatethem, happy that they have discovered the true beauty of life.

EXAMPLE 2: Step by StepAnother successful initiative club is the one that was established in 2006 in the city of Roman. Itsmembers have called the club "Step by Step". The club is made up of high school students, 9thand 10th graders, who go to a high school in the city. The youngsters participate voluntarily in theclubs activity. The club has rules, awards and sanctions that were especially established by themembers of the club. The club's activities are coordinated by the religion teacher, who is also apriest, and there are other teachers from the high school and community members who participatein the clubs activities.

The members of the club meet voluntarily, once a week, in one of the spaces within the school, inorder to plan the club's activities together with the priest, who is also their religion teacher. Theclub has performed several activities: small information campaigns, such as the campaign

organized for the 8

th

of March, when youngsters have elaborated short informative materials andmaterials for raising awareness about family violence, and have distributed the materials to everyman who passed by the high school that day. They have created the radio of the high-school; theyhave organized actions for helping their colleagues in need; and the action "A tea for everyone,when in winter, every morning when they arrived at school, each of the 500 students who go totheir school received a hot cup of tea that the clubs members had prepared.

But they also meet in order to have fun and to spend their spare time as pleasantly as possible.They have become friends very quickly, they have become very close and they facilitatecommunication and working together beyond the limits of the club. For them, the club is therefore a"clean and positive pretext for meeting and for spending time together, an ideal situation for thepriest who has established the club, and who has therefore the possibility to persuade them to use

their energy and enthusiasm towards actions that target their welfare as a group and the welfare ofthe community.
http://www.onestin.ro/http://www.onestin.ro/http://www.onestin.ro/http://www.onestin.ro/


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The most important aspect associated to the existence of this club and of any other club createdfollowing this example is that the youngsters have now a good reason to meet somewhere elsethan on the street, outside their house, they can meet somewhere where they can be creative,where they can do something concrete, fun and useful, where they feel that they use their time, notwaste it, where they can use their energy for a good purpose, a place where they feel respected,useful and valorized. All these are performed with the help and guidance of the coordinating priestwho serves as their role model and as the best example for living following the Christian values.

Children and youngsters tend to naturally "do something, help, perform", "become involved".For them, these actions are a way of playing grown ups. It is their own way of learning. And if theadult knows how to understand this or to remember this, he will only have to provide them with areason and a "playground and do extraordinary things with them. When this adult is a priest whois very close to the youngsters, the results are even more beautiful because they are enriched withthe spiritual aspect. This is exactly what the coordinating priest of Roman did, and what manyothers like him have done.


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Chapter 9: Campaigns targeted for informing and raising awareness

If we were to define a campaign for raising awareness as accurately as possible, we mightsay that such a campaign is the sum of several communication activities by means ofwhich organizers try to send a message pertaining to a certain topic, through several

communication channels, to a number of people, with the purpose of drawing the publicsattention to a problem or to a real phenomenon that occurs in peoples lives. Only later,after people have become informed and have been sensitized following the campaign andonly after they have acknowledged that the problem approached in the campaign is a realone, can one intervene in order to educate, inform, create behaviors and change attitudesand mentalities within the community.

The main advantage of a campaign meant for raising awareness is the possibility tocommunicate a message to many people who have relatively reduced resources.

There are different communication channels that can be used at parish level in a campaign

targeted to raise awareness and to inform: direct communication (particular conversationswith parishioners, group discussions, sermons), public events, written communication(written informative materials: books, leaflets, posters, etc.), mass media (radio, television,newspapers and magazines). These materials can be used in different combinations.

Recommendations how to approach aspects associated to HIV/AIDS and familyviolence in a campaign targeted to raise awareness and to inform

Although it may seem difficult, it is not that hard to organize a campaign within thecommunity: Planning a campaign targeted to raise awareness and to inform supposesgoing through several essential stages:

the analysis of the current situation where we are, what is the information,behavior, attitude that people have about a certain aspect (in the current situation,HIV/AIDS and family violence);

establishing the objectives what we want to obtain (the objectives help usestablish exactly what we want to obtain. For example, if we want to draw peoplesattention about a phenomenon of if we want to inform them about a certain topic);

establishing the strategyhow we will reach the objectives. The following aspectswill be established during this stage:

what is our target group (we address to young people or adults, women ormen, etc.);

which are the messages that we wish to send to the target group/theaudience:

which communication channels with the target group can we choose;

what are the activities that we want to organize in order to achieve our goals.

the actual actionimplementing the activities, changing the plan into actual action;

the control monitoring activities performance, how activities are implemented,revising or changing the activities (where applicable), verifying the impact that theactivity of raising awareness and informing has on the audience/target group.

Key factors for the success of a campaign targeted to raise awareness

Identifying the problems by talking to parishioners. It is essential that the priestidentify the specific problems that exist at community level, by talking to


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parishioners before starting a campaign, and then make the problems the object ofthe campaign.

Choosing the right time. It is very important to choose the best time for launchingsuch an initiative; for example, a campaign targeted to raise awareness aboutfamily violence could be best initiated around the 25 th of November - theInternational Day for Fighting Violence Against Women, when other such

campaigns are also initiated in the local or national media.Involving the other community agents. It is equally important to involve the othercommunity agents who are perceived as positive opinion leaders teachers, otherpriests, representatives of the city hall, and respected members of the community. Ifexpressed publicly, their attitude towards the problem approached in the campaigncan influence how the other community members perceive the problem in question.

Short messages. If you want your messages to be best received by parishioners,the messages must be short (12-24 words); they must be easy to remember(formulated in simple words); they must be positive (expressed with affirmativesentences).

Unitary and consistent messages. The messages sent must be unitary and

consistent. Attention! The message of the campaign can impact differently,depending on how it was formulated.

Written materials. Provide written materials (for example, leaflets), if there are suchmaterials, so that community members might read them afterwards and be able tobetter understand the message.

A positive aspect in approaching the problem of family violence and HIV/AIDS is thepreoccupation of the media for these two phenomena. Lately, several campaigns wereorganized, which were targeted to inform, raise awareness and sensitize about

preventing family violence, about the rights of the children, women and personsinfected with HIV. These campaigns have initiated public debates and have cleared theway for future initiatives in this respect.

Successful examples for organizing campaigns targeted to raise awareness

Between the 15th and the 25th of November, a campaign was organized in Craiova, with the purposeof raising awareness about family violence. The campaign was initiated by priests from the socialdepartment of the Archiepiscopate of Oltenia and it benefited from the support of several publicinstitutions and private companies, amongst which there were the County Authority for Public Health,the School Inspectorate of Dolj, the Department for Social Protection, non-governmentalorganizations functioning in the field and one of the media trusts from the county. The peak of thecampaign was reached with the special events that were organized on the 25th of November - theInternational Day for Fighting Violence Against Women. The campaign was organized under themotto "Lets say NO to family violence and it targeted to sensitize the people of Craiova, especiallyyoung people between 14 and 25, about family violence.

The campaign included several activities:

public debates about family violence; drawing competitions organized in schools and high-schools;

organizing a series of live shows broadcasted at "Logos Radio, belonging to the MetropolitanSeat of Oltenia, a series of shows that were dedicated to the subject of the campaign "Fighting

against family violence. Specialists in different fields and priests were invited, and they becomeinvolved in family violence cases, listeners could ask questions and receive the answers theyneeded;


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A group of young people collaborated with the local organization CRONOS (resource centres fornon-governmental organizations) and they created a forum-type play about family violence. Forthis type of plays, during the first part actors act just as the play was written. The, the audience isasked to comment upon what they have seen on stage and propose changes in the script (in thecharacters' behaviour) or even replace the characters and act instead of them. This is made inorder to generate, through their own interpretation and according to their own vision, an efficientsolution for the situation presented, in order to solve the problem presented as a subject fordebate during the first part of the play;The campaign reached its peak on the 25th of November with a press conference.

In order to organize all aspects, there was a series of preliminary meetings with the campaignpartners, meetings that established the message of the campaign, the target public, the roles andresponsibilities, the resources needed and the distribution of the activities schedule. And because theChurch involvement in solving certain current problems of the society, such as family violence, isalways an interesting subject for the media, therefore a subject that can be easily presented in themedia, this, together with the above-mentioned elements, has contributed to the success of thecampaign and has helped sending the message to many people.


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Chapter 10 Activities in schools

Most of the times, it can happen that the activities organized for preventing HIV/AIDS andfamily violence within the community, be performed at the same time by priests and byother community leaders and agents. It is ideal that these activities:

Be integrated in an unitary effort at community level;Be supported and jointly performed where there is an agreement about the contentpresented. For example, if the Specialty Department from the City Hall organizes acampaign for preventing HIV infection where they promote abstinence, fidelity and theuse of condoms as prevention method, then the parish can only join the campaign forthe section "Preventing HIV by abstinence and fidelity", a section that it approves of;

Must not mutually attack one another, lest they create even more confusion in a publicthat is already insufficiently informed;

Be complementary and continual.

This is the only way that we can expect to obtain a durable change of the attitudes andbehaviors of community members.

School is the first community actor with which the priest must coordinate the activitiespertaining to the prevention of HIV/AIDS and family violence. It is obvious that school ishighly important for forming the personality, attitudes and set of values of any child, whowill become an adult. This formation occurs in school, throughout a relatively long period,and this sometimes decisively influences the child's evolution towards their adult life. Thatis why the information that children receive here, the activities they perform, the attitudes,opinions and behavior of the teachers represent landmarks in establishing the youngsterssystem of values.

The presence of the priest next to the religion teacher during school activities it is annecessary aspect that might influence this process. The priest can thus continue,consolidate and extend the formation of children in the spirit of Christian values, aneducation that was initiated by the Church. A part of this process is creating soundattitudes about HIV/AIDS and family violence and sound attitudes before those sufferingfrom these problems. The priests participation in thematic activities in school thusrepresents a welcome initiative that can be included in a more complex plan for examplean initiative for preventing family violence which is to include sermons, pastoral visits, acampaign targeted to inform, and other such actions. The priest can even participate in orinitiate punctual actions, together with the teachers:

Curricular activities:participation in and thematic discussions during religion classes, incivic education classes, in the classes for health education, for an event such as the 1stof June Childrens Day, the 8th of March Womens Day, 25th of November - theInternational Day for Fighting Violence Against Women or the 2nd of December themoment when Romania celebrates the International Day Against HIV/AIDS and ofdiscrimination against HIV-infected persons; or

Extra-curricular activities: activities targeted to inform and sensitize communitymembers with the help of pupils and students during the above-mentioned days or onother occasions, visits in hospitals, where HIV-infected persons are hospitalized, etc.

The priest can also participate in other activities organized in school thematiccompetitions, local events, etc.

As we have said before, the media is preoccupied by these two problems, a fact thatrepresents an advantage for community approach of the problems pertaining to family


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violence and HIV/AIDS. Lately, several campaigns were organized, which were targeted toinform, raise awareness and sensitize about preventing family violence, about the rights ofthe children, women and persons infected with HIV. These campaigns have initiated publicdebates and have cleared the way for future initiatives in this respect. Schools haveorganized and still perform programmes and project addressed to pupils, pertaining to thetheme of HIV/AIDS prevention, non-discrimination of HIV-infected persons and preventing

family violence. Therefore, there is a favorable environment for involving the priest as anactor and community leader in the schools thematic activities.

Recommendations for performing in schools activities pertaining to HIV/AIDS andfamily violence

Just like in the case of the other activities that a priest can performed in the community,in order to perform and implement activities in school it is necessary to create andestablish a good collaboration with the religion teacher and with the other teachers;

In parallel with their own involvement in the schools activities, in your turn you mustinvolve the school in the parish activities and life;If you do not have any experience in working with children and youngsters, you shouldtake into account their expectations, behaviors and needs, which are different from theadults'. You must know that it takes patience and love to understand them and it takestact to approach them;

When talking to them, you should have a warm and friendly tone;

Provide accurate and clear information. Most of the times, youngsters are betterinformed and much more exigent when it comes to judging the quality of theinformation that adults provide, but at the same time they do not have the capacity ofclearly distinguishing correct information from incorrect information, because they are

not grown ups and because that the information they received are sometimescontradictory;

Do not preach them;

Avoid giving them advice and try to make them ask questions to themselves, identifyproblems and find solutions;

Be honest with them when it comes to your intention. Children and youngsters maintaintheir soul uncorrupted by the compromises and problems of adulthood, and they alsomaintain this natural ability of feeling if the person talking to them really believes whatthey say or if they are only "politicians".

Successful examples for organizing activities in schools

Young people for young people against HIV/AIDS is the name of the project initiated by a group of highschool students from the Anghel Saligny College of Bacau. Guided by their form master, they have decided tolearn, to teach and to inform the others about HIV/AIDS. During a first stage, young people were trained in atraining group for trainers, in order to learn how to approach such problems, at teachers or priests level.Afterwards, students began to work on site they went and talked to several priests from Bacau county. Withthe desire and enthusiasm that is specific for them, the adolescents have explained young people and adultswhat this virus means, how it is transmitted, how we should treat a person who was infected with HIV. Whenperforming their activities, the students were confident that when addressing to young people from parishes,they will easily find a common language that will enable them to talk about the risks and methods for HIV/AIDSprevention, in such a way as to facilitate the process of raising awareness.Several types of activities were performed during this project: Information session held with young people fromseveral parishes; the distribution of informative materials; organizing some special events (meetings and

marches around the area where the school is situated, with banners and placards bearing messages urging notto discriminate HIV-infected persons) together with the young people from the parishes they visited.


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Chapter 11 Resources in the field of HIV/AIDS and family violence

Within the Church:Within the Romanian Patriarchy, Metropolitan Seat or the Diocese to which you belong,you can ask help or information from:

The Department Church and Society of the Romanian Patriarchy(www.patriarhia.ro);

Diocese Social Missionary Sector;

Press Office;

Specialized advisers (missionary social adviser, social assistance inspector, pressadviser).

Within the local public and private institutions:1. The General Department for Social Assistance and Children Protection at county

level;2. The County School Inspectorate;3. The County Authority for Public Health the department for promoting health;4. Family doctor and/or medical assistance from the city/village;5. Non-governmental organizations (NGO) that are active in the fields of HIV/AIDS

and family violence, existing at local or county level;6. Health mediator.

Institutions and non-governmental organizations existing at national level:

The National Agency for Family Protection, existing within the Ministry of Labour,Family and Equal Opportunities and within county offices;

The National Agency for Childrens protection, existing within the Ministry of Labour,

Family and Equal Opportunities;The Ministry of Education and Research through County School Inspectorates;

The National Agency Against Drugs, through its county Offices;

The Ministry of Administration and Internal Affairs, through the departments that arespecialized in preventing violence;

The International Organization for Orthodox Christian Charities (www.iocc.org);

Salvati Copiii Foundation (Save the Children Foundation) (www.salvaticopiii.ro);The National Union of the Organization of the HIV/AIDS-infected people (UNOPA)(www.unopa.ro);

Romanian Angel Appeal (www.raa.ro);

Romanian Association Against-AIDS (ARAS) (www.arasnet.ro);

The Centre Partnership for Equality (www.cpe.ro);

The Association for Promoting Women in Romania (www.apfr.ro);

Sensiblu Foundation (www.fundatiasensiblu.ro);

The National Coalitions of non-governmental organizations involved in ProgrammesPertaining to Violence Against Women (www.nuviolenta.ro).

For more information you can also access the following websites:www.database.ngo.rowww.informathiv.ro

www.nuviolenta.ro
http://www.salvaticopiii.ro/http://www.salvaticopiii.ro/http://www.salvaticopiii.ro/http://www.unopa.ro/http://www.unopa.ro/http://www.unopa.ro/http://www.arasnet.ro/http://www.arasnet.ro/http://www.arasnet.ro/http://www.cpe.ro/http://www.cpe.ro/http://www.cpe.ro/http://www.apfr.ro/http://www.apfr.ro/http://www.apfr.ro/http://www.fundatiasensiblu.ro/http://www.fundatiasensiblu.ro/http://www.fundatiasensiblu.ro/http://www.fundatiasensiblu.ro/http://www.apfr.ro/http://www.cpe.ro/http://www.arasnet.ro/http://www.unopa.ro/http://www.salvaticopiii.ro/

Documents

Priets Guide HIV-VF_EN