Souper Sunday Snippets

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Souper Sunday raises £¼ Million

It all began in 2008 when the then Moderator, Very Rev David Lunan, challenged all Presbyteries to raise money for the HIV/AIDS Project, as it was then known. Enterprising Lothian Presbytery minister Rev Dr Robin Hill dreamt up “Souper Sunday” as a way of raising £10,000 in one day, while also giving ministers a day off.

He wrote a complete order of service which could be led by elders; with the content focussed on the HIV/AIDS Project, the service was to be followed by a fellowship lunch with soup, and donations invited for the Project. Robin persuaded all the

churches in Lothian Presbytery to do this on the same day – “and we raised £12,000 in only two hours!”

The idea was enthusiastically taken up by the General Assembly the following year, and the iconic date of 10.01.10 chosen, when churches throughout Scotland were invited to hold their own Souper Sunday. Many such services were

planned, but because of awful weather conditions, many had to be postponed till later in the year; they still went ahead eventually. The date chosen for 2011 also fell foul of the weather, but by then we had realised that it was easier for churches to choose the date which suited them best, any time in the year.

In 2012, Souper Sundays were held in every month; in some cases, ice cream replaced soup, in Super Sundaes! Since 2009,

almost a quarter of a million pounds has been raised.

So whether this is your first or fourth Souper Sunday, we want to thank you for your support for the Church of Scotland HIV Programme. (We changed the name in 2011)

Skills training and micro-credit schemes help people living with HIV to earn a living, but also to regain a sense of worth and dignity.

In China, the Amity Foundation runs a project in Longchuan County, near the border with Myanmar; it is an area badly endangered by drugs and HIV and AIDS. . The project works with 10 village groups in Guangsong Village in Jhinghang Town, with a population of 2,380, of whom 70 (3%) are infected with HIV. The project works with those living with HIV , offering skills training (in sugar-cane growing, and rearing livestock like pigs, chickens and goats.

Loans are then given to enable families to begin building up their livelihood. Last year, 16 households have received loans of 2000 yuan (£200), 3000 yuan (£300), or 5000 yuan (£500), according to their need. The interest repayable on the loan is 2%,and households are visited regularly, and support offered if problems are identified.

The impact which the loans have had with families living with HIV has been marked. Not only has it enabled them to have a secure income, but it has also given a tremendous confidence boost. Most plwh are former drug-users, who had let their farmland out for rent in order to pay for drugs. With the loan they have been able to farm their land properly, and neighbours in the villages can see the big changes in their lives.

In Malawi, our friends in the Blantyre Synod Health and Development Commission were concerned about the prevailing culture within their wider

community which tolerated and even expected multiple sexual partnerships. This

culture and the lack of communication between couples on sexual matters were

identified as factors which could lead to the spread of HIV. So they designed and

delivered a course specifically aimed at young couples, either about to be married or

newly married. This course laid out the facts and fictions around

HIV, explained how it is spread, and encouraged fidelity and

communication between couples. In its pilot year, 24 counsellors

were trained to deliver the course in their own communities: The Training was to build the capacity of Counsellors and educators to enable them to attain skills, using the couple counselling guide, on how they can help in strengthening marriages by reminding them of their commitment to God and each other and by offering practical skills on how to better communicate and express their love in the era of HIV and AIDS so that they reduce Multiple Concurrent Sexual Partners which fuel the spread of HIV and AIDS.

One of the participants Mrs. Enifa Mussa pleaded with the church leadership to be holding more such seminars which she said will form a basis of strong families and in the long run will help to build a strong church.

In India, Deep Griha’s DISHA project in Pune works in some of the poorest neighbourhoods in that city. Since 2005, they have been running

A nutrition programme for clients

Drop-in centre with recreation facilities

Counselling services

Home-based care and support

Referrral services

Weekly outpatient clinics

Income-generation programme (helping clients achieve financial security)

Community awareness sessions.

This year, they have produced an information booklet in Braille about HIV, the first ever of its kind.

They also run a Melava+, a matrimonial event for people living with HIV; over 400 people came from 5 states, and 17 couples were eventually married as a result.

The DISHA team in their distinctive red saris conducting a community awareness session.

In Malawi, it is estimated there are 500,000 children who have lost one or both parents as a result of HIV and AIDS. Another of our projects in Malawi, the

Ekwendeni Hospital AIDS Programme has a programme specifically aimed at orphans and vulnerable children. They do this in a number of ways, through

Community based child care programmes (for 6 and under, with a meal provided each day)

Children’s corners held every Saturday Provision of food and farm inputs to families

Director Esther Lupafya emphasises how much the success of the project depends on the full participation of community volunteers.

There are 20 Children’s corners with an average attendance of almost 300; 16 children have their secondary school fees paid, and 4 girls are currently at teacher training college; 49 families have received farm inputs. There are now 23 orphan care committees, 321 community-based child care centres, and 20 children’s corners. 209 children who have been involved with the programme are now employed or self-employed.

There is effective psycho-social and spiritual care, primary pupils in CBCCs perform well above average in school, and volunteers in the community mobilise their own resources, planting communal gardens and getting support form community members.

“If left without support, these children would not only fail to access good education, but they would also indulge in non-wanted behaviour, thereby making them unproductive citizens, now and in the future,” says Esther.

In Israel, the Galilee Society is the now the main source of HIV-based education for young people in the local Arab Community; they work in secondary schools and community groups, train peer educators, produce excellent resources, use the local radio to get their message across; their work is challenging, as there is still a lot of denial around HIV and AIDS.

20,000 copies of this pamphlet in Arabic have been printed and distributed

Local students attending one of the Health Days run by the Galilee Society

The village of Usisya is a remote and very poor community on the northern shores of Lake Malawi, about 60kms away from the main hospital at Ekwendeni, and to reach it one has to travel along pretty poor roads.

The Livingstonia Synod AIDS Programme (LISAP) discovered at least 14 children there were living with HIV and were quite ill,

because of the lack of food.

For the past two years LISAP  has been going to the community once a month (when they can afford the petrol to drive there and back) and delivering sacks of maize flour, beans, and cooking oil to the 14 families. While there is still no cure for HIV or AIDS, there is antiretroviral medication (ARVs) available. However, it is important that those on ARVs have good nutritious food for the treatment to work.

 None of the children have been ill since the project started. However, this is a project which will never be self-sustaining, and depends on donations;  their director, Mphatso Ngulube, says that there is a great need to scale up the work they are doing , as each time they go, there are more demands from other families  for food and help.

LISAP continues to work with the community to strengthen its capacity to care for the children and families in their midst.

“When I see the changed life of Usisya HIV positive children who are fed and cared for with funding from the Church of Scotland, I cannot think of a better miracle than this. If I tell you that all these children you see here were on the death bed 2 years ago, you

may not believe it but that’s the truth.

This red van descending through the hills is a sign of hope and life to the people of Usisya. This is the

time of getting their rations; this is the food that has given them life.” Mphatso, LISAP Director

This is one of our favourite pictures in the HIV Programme Office. It shows the boys and staff from Lovemore Children’s Home, Zimbabwe, with some of the chickens which Souper Sunday money helped to pay for.

The Home, which is run by the Presbyterian Church in Zimbabwe, cares for mainly boys, aged 6 – 18; they are street children, many of whom are HIV+. All are vulnerable.

Last year in January, the HIV Programme gave a grant of £5000 to Lovemore to set up a poultry project. The funds paid for the construction of a chicken coup, the purchase of chickens and feed, and some training for staff and the boys. Within six months, the scheme was up and running. The children now have a source of food, but also a source of income, as the Home can sell the eggs and some of the chicks. No wonder they look happy!

In Scotland, we are proud to support the work of Positive Help in Edinburgh.

There are an estimated 5000 people in Scotland living with HIV (about 25% of whom are unaware of their status.) While treatment is readily available to anyone who needs it, the biggest issue facing people in Scotland who are living with HIV is the fear of stigma and discrimination.

Established in 1989, Positive Help continues to meet the individual needs of HIV positive people for assistance with day to day living. They recruit, train and supervise volunteers who give practical help through home support, transport and children and young people befriending services.

In 2011/12, they had 3226 requests for assistance with transport, of which they were able to meet 2000; volunteers did 861 hours of driving. Our grant will enable them to recruit and train 12 new drivers over the next 12 months, and to meet some of the costs incurred by the transport service. It links closely with the other services which Positive Help offer. By providing lifts for food shopping volunteers are also able to

offer home support assistance with cooking, cleaning and companionship. By helping with transport to school and holiday clubs they are able to foster relationships with families that can benefit from Positive Help’s children & young people befriending service.

In Sri Lanka, the Women’s Development Centre works closely with commercial sex workers (CSWs) in the city of Kandy. There is apparently a low HIV prevalence rate in Sri Lanka (though reporting can be suspect), so the main focus of the WDC HIV project is on prevention. They also have an important rehabilitation programme for commercial sex workers (CSWs).

Last year, they provided

13 awareness programmes (4 with rural women, 4 with youth, 2 with theological students and 3 with sex workers)

2000 leaflets which were distributed on World AIDS Day, and a street drama which attracted 600 spectators.

The Rehabilitation programme for CSWs, Access to medical attention.

A self-help group has been formed, which meets monthly; through this, micro-credit loans of Rs30,000 (£160) have been given to six women. The repayment level of the loans stands at 85%, which compares favourably with other ICG schemes run by WDC.

Pearl Stephen who runs the project reports: “12 women have abandoned the sex trade altogether. The project has had quite an impact, and has encouraged positive

changes, both practical and attitudinal, in the women concerned. The moral support within the group is very significant, and they help each other out in times of need”

There is outreach to other sex workers, and there has been an increase in the numbers seeking medical examinations. The WDC is recognised by police and others in authority for their HIV work. WDC hopes to extend the programme in collaboration with other partners, but they acknowledge that the support from the Church of Scotland kept this project alive when it was floundering from lack of funds.

Members of the self-help group: (left) one at her brick kiln and (right) one rearing poultry

In Malawi, working with the local health clinic, the local church in the parish of Chileka has trained 50 volunteers to be able to deliver home-based care to those in their community living with HIV. Here they are with their bicycles to help them get around the area. The project was initiated by the local minister, Rev Hartley Zulu, who writes:

The project has impacted to the community remarkably. It has influenced the change of attitude from family level to the large community level. First, the church attitude towards the individuals infected and affected by HIV has changed from discriminative to accommodative approaches. Many Church members have accepted voluntary work to serve the people living with HIV whilst in their respective homes. Some family members are taking care of their sick people. The nearby government clinic has assisted in establishing a referral system; hence critically ill patients get medical help without delay. Pastoral work by the church minister is becoming easier because volunteers are doing much work amongst the sick.