Societies in Lesotho and Uganda offer God’s Word to HIV/AIDS victims

MASERU, Lesotho and KAMPALA, Uganda — The need to reach out to HIV/AIDS victims with God’s Word has become a key element of the work of both the Bible Society of Uganda and the Bible Society in Lesotho.

In Uganda, greater openness about HIV/AIDS has encouraged collaboration in fighting the disease, and there are now organisations working specifically with HIV/AIDS patients.

One manifestation of this change in attitudes towards HIV/AIDS was the launch of the first HIV/AIDS Partnership Forum at the third National AIDS Conference on October 28. The 2,000 delegates included representatives of the Bible Society, which has been active in this area since the early 1990s. The success of the Society’s first Portion for those affected by HIV/AIDS, Nothing Can Separate Us From the Love of God, prompted it to make available 20,000 copies of another Portion, Living in Hope.

This Portion has been especially welcomed by those running church-based counselling groups. Similar stories are emerging from Lesotho, where the Bible Society is also distributing Nothing Can Separate Us From the Love of God. Maureen Kabey, an HIV/AIDS counsellor, reports that this Portion is “working wonders” among those living with HIV/AIDS, giving them great comfort and strength.