I was asked if I would be interested in teaching a class like this - it hasn't been taught before, so that would require me to come up with the curriculum and structure of the class. I'm in the last few quarters of my Masters Degree in Public Health, and part of the requirement for completion is to have a certain amount of hours doing some form of Public Health. As HIV/AIDS is the number one cause of death here, it seemed like this subject was perfect for fulfilling not only my Masters requirement, but my personal desire in health education and empowering people in their own health - a win-win if I've ever seen one.
Over the last month I have been pouring over reading materials, books, and other curriculum to come up with a curriculum that is going to work in my particular setting. To this end I've started compiling my resources, some in English and some in Spanish. I think between all I've read and collected I'll be able to make this happen. In addition, I'll be starting regularly scheduled clinics with some of the pastors that are currently attending the seminary. Between the classes and the clinics I should easily be able to fulfill my hour requirement for my Masters, and my personal desire with ministry.
I do feel privileged to have my own personal ministry on the field, I know that is not the case with many women missionaries. We each have our own role, and many are in very different seasons of life where their primary ministry is to their family. I have always been able to have both ministry to my family and personal ministry, which I realize makes it a little different than others on the field. This has always been a challenging position, and I have had this conversation with almost every woman who joined our team - what is your role? When women joined our team, there always seemed to be a one-on-one conversation as we discussed what the expectations were of the team and of each individual. Without exception, we always understood and made it known that the primary responsibility of both the men and the women on the team was to their families. Because of my season of life - where my daughter was in school, I was able to have a full-time ministry life, working at my clinic full-time, and it was a joy to be able to have my own ministry apart from my husbands. It was a joy to see God grow the ministry of the clinic, where ultimately a brick-and-mortar clinic was built, and I hired a Honduran physician and nurse, and where, to this day, it continues on.
So now I will see where God will take me on this new journey. As a teacher at a seminary, and as a medical provider at mobile clinics, I feel a huge weight of responsibility, but I know that God has prepared me and equipped me to be able to do this - and so I strive onward knowing that God will see me through.
FACT SHEET 2016
GLOBAL STATISTICS—2015
·
17 million people were
accessing antiretroviral therapy
·
36.7 million [34.0
million–39.8 million] people globally were living with HIV
·
2.1 million [1.8
million–2.4 million] people became newly infected with HIV
·
1.1 million [940
000–1.3 million] people died from AIDS-related illnesses
·
78 million [69.5
million–87.6 million] people have become infected with HIV since the start of
the epidemic
·
35 million [29.6
million–40.8 million] people have died from AIDS-related illnesses since the
start of the epidemic
People living with HIV
·
In 2015, there were
36.7 million [34.0 million–39.8 million] people living with HIV.
People living with HIV
accessing antiretroviral therapy
·
As of December 2015,
17 million people living with HIV were accessing antiretroviral therapy, up
from 15.8 million in June 2015 and 7.5 million in 2010.
o 46% [43–50%] of all adults living with HIV
were accessing treatment in 2015, up from 23% [21–25%] in 2010.
o 49% [42–55%] of all children living with HIV
were accessing treatment in 2015, up from 21% [18–23%] in 2010.
o 77% [69–86%] of pregnant women living with HIV
had access to antiretroviral medicines to prevent transmission of HIV to their
babies in 2015.
New HIV infections
·
New HIV infections
have fallen by 6% since 2010.
o Worldwide, 2.1 million [1.8 million–2.4
million] people became newly infected with HIV in 2015, down from 2.2 million
[2 million–2.5 million] in 2010.
·
New HIV infections
among children have declined by 50% since 2010.
o Worldwide, 150 000 [110 000–190 000] children
became newly infected with HIV in 2015, down from 290 000 [250 000–350 000] in
2010.
AIDS-related deaths
·
AIDS-related deaths
have fallen by 45% since the peak in 2005.
o In 2015, 1.1 million [940 000–1.3 million]
people died from AIDS-related causes worldwide, compared to 2 million [1.7
million–2.3 million] in 2005.
HIV/tuberculosis
·
Tuberculosis-related
deaths among people living with HIV have fallen by 32% since 2004.
o Tuberculosis remains the leading cause of
death among people living with HIV, accounting for around one in three
AIDS-related deaths.
o In 2014, the percentage of identified
HIV-positive tuberculosis patients who started or continued on antiretroviral
therapy reached 77%.
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