‘Me and my house’: families help
in the fight against HIV/AIDS

Based on a report by Marie-Thérèse Moutinou, Communications and Fundraising Secretary for the Bible Society in Congo

BRAZZAVILLE, Congo — As the people of Congo set about rebuilding their shattered country, they face a massive task. Not only must they repair the economy, infrastructure and social and political life, they do so with the added burden of one of the world’s highest rates of HIV/AIDS. Although no accurate figures exist, due to the fact that the country’s health system is in ruins, it is estimated that around 10 per cent of the country’s 3.1 million people may be infected.

The Bible Society of Congo is particularly concerned that children and young people are educated about the disease and how to avoid infection, and is providing free Scripture Selections for that purpose.

To help fund these Scriptures, the Society recently launched a project called Me and My House, asking families to take responsibility for collecting money within the home to help prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS. Nearly 200 special Bible Society collection boxes were distributed to families through churches and through the Society itself. Information about the project and how to encourage family members and visitors to donate money was printed on the boxes.

The project was a huge success, raising 631,145 F (US$1,152) – more than double the amount of money expected by the Bible Society. With the money raised, the Society was able to print and distribute 10,000 copies of the Selection Plus que vainqueurs (‘More than Conquerors’), and 25,000 copies of another Selection about sexual temptation. As well as helping in the fight against HIV/AIDS, the project also had a positive impact on families, making them more aware of the disease and encouraging a culture of giving.
One father said that his young daughter’s enthusiasm for the project had had a very positive effect on her brothers.

“When the box arrived in our house, the boys did not put any money into it at all,” he explained. “Our young daughter, however, was completely different. Whenever she had any coins, even if they were meant to buy her breakfast, she always asked if she could rather put them in the box. Her example led her brothers to also start contributing.”

An unemployed woman felt “a desire to have a collection box” in her home after the project was presented in her church but her friends mocked her.

“They said, ‘Why are you taking a collection box when you don’t even have a job?’ But I told them that God would help me to put some money in it,” she explained. “Whenever I had a few coins after going to the market, or when someone lent me some money, I put them in the box. When my sister, who works in the interior of the country, came home, I told her about the box and she, too, gladly contributed. I am very happy to have taken part in this project.” (WR 383/2 - 1/2.04)