Gender, HIV and AIDS, and the role of the church in Africa.
Gender is key to the response to AIDS because it is often the imbalance in power relations between men and women that drives the spread of HIV. If anything, within parts of the evangelical Church, practices relating to gender are more entrenched than in society as a whole. Local evangelical churches in many parts of Africa are failing to challenge traditional views about gender, particularly about sexual relationships, within society and in the church itself. This means that sex is a taboo issue, and that men, women and children accept the dominant position of males in relationships. These views do not reflect a biblical view of relationships and are contributing to the AIDS pandemic.
Tearfund is funding two partners in Burkina Faso and Zimbabwe to undertake a pilot initiative to try new ways to bring about sustained behaviour change within the local communities where they work. Prayer is an integral part of the process along with education at local Theological colleges.