Although HIV works as an unseen, silent assassin killing mothers and fathers, creating orphans and destroying communities, it can be stopped. What I saw and heard in Nigeria gives me hope. My hope is based on what I saw churches doing, with support from ACET.

Together we can put an end to the destruction HIV and AIDS leave in their wake.

Deborah, one of the church leaders I met, told me how being part of an ACET HIV/AIDS prevention course changed her life. "My brother had been sick for some time,” she said. “The symptoms were so very similar to AIDS, but he threatened to kill anyone who even suggested that he might be HIV positive. Then, when I completed the ACET training I found a compassion for him that I had not had before.”

“Before the course I would not have gone anywhere near the home of anyone remotely likely to be HIV+.  After the course I was able to visit my brother and his wife and share what I had learned. And because of what I shared from ACET, my brother decided to be tested. He found being HIV+ did not mean that life comes to an end. He was able to get treatment and learn how to live in a way that does not spread HIV to others."

In Africa especially, facing and dealing with the stigma of HIV and AIDS is vital to beginning the process of eradication.

The response of one young man I met in Nigeria is another good example of why. Jude is probably only 22 years old but when he found out that he was HIV+ he wanted to commit suicide. All hope for the future seemed to have slipped away, or so he thought until he had done the ACET training. It gave him new hope. With medication he can now live a "normal" life and he has also learned the life skills he needs to avoid spreading the infection. As you know, although HIV/AIDS is a sexually transmitted disease, it is not only the promiscuous that become infected.  

Jude is now helping others by teaching about HIV/AIDS in the villages around his home and offering testing. Working with community leaders, church volunteers trained by ACET are making a huge impact in their communities. The great thing about working with
churches is that they are in so many communities where even basic health services are absent.

Jude and other outreach team members are training people to understand how HIV/AIDS is transmitted, that it does not mean the end of life and that treatment is available. All this encourages people to think differently. It helps to remove stigma and open the way for people to consider being tested.

In countries like Nigeria, Congo and Uganda, an effective testing programme is essential if the spread of HIV is to be halted.  The stigma of being HIV+ can be so powerful that most people will do anything to avoid being tested. That is why the village and other outreach programmes are so important.

As Deborah told me, knowing your status is the first step towards behaviour change and halting the spread of HIV. ACET is working hard in Africa to help church leaders encourage members of their congregations to be tested and to look at people with HIV in a different way.  In a way that is loving and caring, and does not isolate.

As a result of being part of ACET’s HIV training, many church leaders are inspiring people by their example, and the results are astonishing!

Two church leaders I met on my recent visit attended the ACET training back in 2008. They had been approached by members of the congregation for help in obtaining anti-viral drugs. After attending ACET training, they wanted to lead by example. So they decided to be tested themselves.  The result was 600 members of their church coming forward for testing and also many others in their community. So far, at least 2,000 people have been tested because of their example.

I've seen how testing is the gateway to both caring for people who are HIV+ and preventing the spread of the virus. So please may I ask for your help. Together we can make a big difference, not only in Africa, but also in many other parts of the world where HIV is prevalent.

So please can I ask you to go to http://www.thebiggive.org.uk/donate/acetbiggive and make a gift today. And would you also send your friends an e-mail and ask them to visit the ACET website to find out more about how the spread of HIV can be halted?