CABSA

We help Christian communities and workplaces to respond to HIV by offering training, information and doing advocacy..

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More about CABSA

The Christian AIDS Bureau of Southern Africa (CABSA) motivates and assists the Church to bring transformation in the areas of health, well-being and gender equality in a world affected by HIV. CABSA believes in the incredible potential of faith communities to address the serious challenges still posed by the HIV epidemic. It is widely accepted that lack of accurate and reliable information about HIV, modes of transmission and modes of prevention is a key barrier to preventing new infections. Further, stigma and discrimination harms prevention initiatives, affects the quality of life of people living with HIV, prevents timely access to information and care and ultimately increases AIDS related deaths. CABSA's main focus is on HIV training and awareness, aimed at faith communities,the work place and community leaders. CABSA assists faith leaders, and through them their churches and faith communities, to: • Understand the HI virus, the epidemic and its drivers, • Hear God’s voice in the epidemic and • Respond comprehensively and competently. Focus areas: CABSA achieves its objectives through: A. Mobilizing and Training Churches, Channels of Hope: The purpose of this programme is to equip participants with the appropriate attitudes, knowledge and skills to be 'Channels of Hope' and assist faith communities in their journeys to HIV competence. It includes an in-depth 7 day Facilitators Training, a peer educators training, a 3-day programme for people to integrate HIV in their personal, professional and spiritual life and various workshops and information sessions. B. Advocacy and sensitizing: CABSA creates awareness of the individual, community and systemic drivers and issues around the HIV pandemic, in order to move faith communities to HIV involvement and competence. CABSA stands in the gap for people living with HIV and encourages and strengthens the voices of those who are not heard. Our key advocacy campaign is Thursdays in Black. Thursdays in Black is an international campaign of awareness and solidarity against sexual and gender based violence. It encourages epeople to wear black every Thursday. This can be a campaign T-shirt, other black clothing or simply a campaign badge as a sign of their support. Thursdays in Black focuses on ways that individuals can challenge attitudes that cause rape and violence, on a personal and public level. It provides an opportunity for people to become part of a worldwide movement which enables the despair, pain and anger about rape and other forms of violence to be transformed into political action. Thursdays in Black is supported by individuals, churches, denominations and organizations worldwide. CABSA became involved in the Thursdays in Black campaign in 2012 and has been actively promoting the campaign ever since, including printing and providing campaign materials, and managing the www.thursdaysinblack.co.za website.