The challenge of pastoral care and counselling of HIV/AIDS affected families in ten Evangelical Lutheran Church parishes in the Oshanga region, Namibia.

Abstract

Thesis (M.Th.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2005.

The onset and rapid spread of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Sub-Saharan Africa has challenged and continues to challenge the church in its doctrine as well as its practical ministries. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia has been no exception. The disease challenges the theological and pastoral disciplines, especially in the area of contextuality. This thesis is developed at the very site of the struggle to care for the infected and affected individuals and families in the ten Evangelical Lutheran Church parishes in the Oshana Region, Namibia. Healing and caring for the sick is the primary mission of this church. Therefore, the quest of this study is to investigate how ELCIN through pastoral care and counselling helps HIV/AIDS infected and affected family members cope with their situation. The study concentrated mainly on ten ELCIN parishes in the Oshana Region, Namibia. Chapter one is an introduction to the whole thesis. Included is the statement of the problem, the methodology used to collect data and the literature review. Chapter two deals with pastoral care and counselling of HIV/AIDS infected and affected families. The African understanding of heath and illness is also considered as well. Chapter three is about the Church and HIV/AIDS in the Oshana Region, Namibia. This chapter investigates the responses of ELCIN's pastors towards HIV/AIDS affected families in the Oshana Region, and how they understand HIV/AIDS biblically. Chapter four deals with the impact of HIV/AIDS on affected families in Oshana Region, Namibia. This chapter discusses how HIV/AIDS affects the family members, nurses, and community ministers and how pastoral care and counselling help the widowers, widows, orphans, caregivers of orphans and nurses to take care of orphans. This is the main chapter of this thesis. Chapter five is about data analysis, recommendations and research findings using the Christian theoretical framework of Mwaura, van Dyk, Msomi, Snidle and Welsh, and Dube. Chapter six is the conclusion of the whole thesis.