Why Focus on Grassroots and Community Responses?
The total number of people living with HIV now stands at 40.3 million (in 1995, 19.9 million). Despite increased attention on AIDS in developing countries and access to anti-retroviral treatment, the AIDS epidemic is outpacing global efforts to contain it.
We cannot institutionalize our way out of this problem. Globally, we cannot build enough hospitals to care for the all those infected nor orphanages for the children left behind.
So what is the answer? Africa has traditionally had family and community structures that care for the sick, orphaned, and elderly. These structures have crumbled under the weight of HIV/AIDS.
As our experiences in Africa and Asia have shown us, where communities are strengthened through love, inclusion and collective action, there are real solutions. This is not to minimize or eliminate the roles of local governments and outside resources; but to be aware that the key to a long-term solution lies in the local communities and in the hands of the residents.
"An important lesson learnt over the past decade is that national HIV/AIDS responses cannot reach the necessary scale through centrally operated programmes," the UN Economic Commisssion for Africa briefing paper said. "A decentralised, participatory approach with the involvement of all sectors leads to wider coverage, especially of people at the 'grassroots'" (UNECA 2000).
Power of Love disseminates factual information regarding this pandemic, its prevention, and treatment at the grassroots level through local leadership and community-based programs.