DEPARTMENT OVERVIEW
The department of HIVAIDS and health of the Blantyre Synod coordinates and collaborates HIV/AIDS initiatives with all its 18 Presbyteries and other stakeholders in the Southern Regions of Malawi. It responds to problems seeking means of alleviating them. Relative to HIV/Aids, the department also aims at strengthening peoples understanding of their roles and the role of the church in the fight against HIV/AIDS through awareness and capacity building of the communities to effectively and efficiently respond to the impact of HIV/AIDS.

MISSION STATEMENT
The department seeks to alleviate problems related to HIV/AIDS and aims at strengthening people’s understanding of their roles and the role of the church in the fight against HIV/AIDS through awareness and capacity building of the communities to effectively and efficiently respond to the impact of HIV/AIDS.

OBJECTIVES
The department of HIV/AIDS and health has the following objectives:

• To enhance Blantyre Synod involvement in the fight against HIV/AIDS through the institutions, departments and presbyteries.
• To mitigate the impact of HIV/AIDS on the infected and affected people in the communities regardless of religion affiliation.
• To mainstream HIV/AIDS programs in Synod institutions, departments and presbyteries.
• To promote voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) as a means of HIV prevention.
• To build capacities of the communities to effectively and efficiently respond to the impact of HIV/AIDS.
• To promote collaboration with government and other stakeholders in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

VISION
To minimize morbidity and mortality caused by HIV/AIDS infections in areas where the Synod is operating.

APPROACH
To achieve its objectives, the department uses a mixture of methodologies. Some of them are:

• Coordination and collaboration
• Capacity building
• Exchange study visits
• Equality to provision of service regardless of religious affiliation
• Volunteerism
• Community based ownership

ONGOING PROJECTS
1. Community Home Based Care (CHBC) Project

CHBC deals with the infected through community volunteers to improve the wellbeing of the sick from HIV/AIDS related diseases through the following interventions:

• Training of HBC volunteers
• Provision of HBC kits
• Referral services – home to hospital or hospital to home.

2. Orphan and Vulnerable Children (OVC) Support and Care Project
Care and support of OVC is yet another challenge that CCAP Blantyre Synod through the HIV/AIDS and Health department is coordinating in conjunction with its Presbyteries. The following are some of the activities ongoing:

• School sponsorship to the secondary school orphans
• Material support i.e. clothes, food.
• Economic empowerment through vocational skill development i.e. carpentry, tailoring, basketry, welding etc
• Psychological support

3. Youth Development Projects
Under this project, the department involves the youth in different aspects to make them understand the preventive measures against HIV/AIDS through the following activities:

• Formation of out/in school HIV/AIDS clubs
• Provision of basic HIV/AIDS information
• Economic empowerment
• Peer education

4. Community Based Child Care (CBCC) Project
CBCC is a child centered intervention that brings together children aged between the ages of 3-6 for psychological and physical development. These centers are community managed. The department therefore facilitates the following activities:

• Training of community volunteers as CBBCC teachers
• Provision of CBCC play materials
• Provision of food stuff
• Promotion of community food contribution to alleviate starvation
• Promotion of community gardening
• Provision of health services i.e. Child Immunization.

5. Widow Care and support Project
Widow care and support is another project run by the department working with widows to improve their economic status through the provision of the following:

• Economic empowerment  through the revolving business loans
• Basic HIV/AIDS information
• Provision of material assistance to orphans and vulnerable children and the elderly
• Promotion of VCT and formation of HIV/AIDS clubs.

FUTURE PLANS
For the future, the department has the following plans:

• Scaling up of projects to all presbyteries.
• Involvement of the resource base for operations of the department through donor support funds