Nepal's Christian Youths Commit to Combat HIV and AIDS

Programme Review and Programme Direction

Two key deliberative sessions during the 15th CCA General Assembly are the Programme Review and Programme Direction sessions.

The Programme Review and Programme Direction sessions will both be conducted in three groups relating to the CCA’s programme areas, namely, (i) General Secretariat (GS), (ii) Mission in Unity and Contextual Theology (MU) and Ecumenical Leadership Formation and Spirituality (EF); and (iii) Building Peace and Moving Beyond Conflicts (BP) and Prophetic Diakonia (PD).

Assembly participants will have the option to join one of three groups for both the Programme Review and Programme Direction sessions. For the sake of coherence, the assigned group will remain the same for both sessions.

General Secretariat

The General Secretariat oversees the coordination of programmatic, administrative, and financial activities of the organization. The GS comprises various departments such as church and ecumenical relations, relations with ecumenical partners, finance, administration, and communications, which provide crucial support and services for the implementation of programs and contribute to the overall functioning of the CCA.

Programmes: Relations with member churches and councils, ecumenical partners; advocacy at the United Nations; ecumenical responses to emerging issues in solidarity; income development and finance; and communications.

Mission in Unity and Contextual Theology (MU) and Ecumenical Leadership Formation and Spirituality (EF)

Under the MU programme area, the CCA accompanies Asian churches to strengthen their mission and witness in multi-religious contexts, revitalise and nurture church unity and the Asian ecumenical movement, and develop contextual theological foundations.

Programmes: Asian Movement for Christian Unity (AMCU); Congress of Asian Theologians (CATS); Asian women doing theology in the context of wider ecumenism; contextualisation of theology in Asia and ecumenical theological education.

The EF programme area focuses on nurturing and developing ecumenical leaders in Asia. The programme aims to enhance spiritual formation and theological understanding, enabling people to actively engage in ecumenical dialogue and collaboration.

Programmes: Ecumenical Enablers’ Training in Asia (EETA); Asian Ecumenical Institute (AEI); Youth and Women Leadership Development; Ecumenical Spirituality and Nurturing of Contextual Liturgical Traditions; Asia Sunday

Building Peace and Moving Beyond Conflicts (BP) and Prophetic Diakonia and Advocacy (PD)

The BP programme area is dedicated to promoting peace, justice, and reconciliation in Asia’s diverse contexts. Through training, advocacy, and dialogue, the programme addresses the root causes of conflicts, empowers communities, and fosters sustainable peacebuilding initiatives.

Programmes: Pastoral Solidarity Visits; Churches in Action for Moving Beyond Conflict and Resolution; Young Ambassadors of Peace in Asia (YAPA); Ecumenical Women’s Action Against Violence (EWAAV); Eco-Justice for Sustainable Peace in the Oikos.

The PD programme area focuses on promoting justice, human rights, and social transformation in Asia. Through advocacy, capacity-building, and raising awareness, the programme addresses systemic injustice, empowers marginalised communities, and advocates for prophetic actions and meaningful change.

Programmes: Human Rights advocacy; Migration, Statelessness, and Trafficking in Persons; Asian Ecumenical Disability Advocacy Network; Asian Advocacy Network on the Dignity and Rights of Children (AANDRoC); Ecumenical Solidarity Accompaniment and Diakonia in Asia (ESADA); Health and Healing; Good Governance; Action Together to Combat HIV and AIDS in Asia (ATCHAA).

No preference updated.

24 June 2019
2Participants of  the youth motivation training programme

Participants of  a youth motivation training programme, focused on the theme 'Young People at the Center: Taking the lead in Combating HIV/AIDS and Advocacy', committed to be engaged in combating the menace of HIV and AIDS in Nepal.

The training organized by the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) and hosted by the National Council of Churches in Nepal (NCCN) was held at the Emmanuel Church in Kathmandu from 21 to 23 June, 2019.

Thirty-five young Christian youths from different parts of Nepal attended the training.

The youth motivation programme aimed at engaging young people through interactive participatory processes. Creative group works, contextual interpretation of the Bible and analysis of real-life situations helped the young participants to think outside their comfort zones, and to create a safe space within the church and in the youth groups to become the channel of advocacy.

Taking into account the lack of awareness of the National AIDS programme in Nepal, the youths were made aware of the impact of the spread of HIV on the population. The information shared at various sessions enabled the participants to understand the role of the Church and the Christian youth in responding effectively to HIV and AIDS. The resource persons who led different workshop sessions highlighted the fact that ignorance and lack of awareness were the key factors that caused stigma and discrimination in the community; hence the young people were motivated to take a step further in building self-awareness, awareness within the Church and among the youths.

“The youths should take the message beyond the four walls of the Church and bring forth the healing touch of Jesus to those in pain and agony”, said Ps. Aiman Singh Gurung,  President of the NCCN at the opening session.

Reflecting on the biblical narrative of the healing of the leper, Rev. Vinod Victor from the Church of South India emphasized the need for solidarity with people living in pain and agony. Christians have to follow the model of Jesus in compassion, and stretch out their hands and touch the marginalized.

Nirmala Gurung, a young Christian woman leader in Nepal who attended the training, expressed appreciation to CCA for addressing the very serious and important issue of  HIV and AIDS which was not being talked about openly by the churches in Nepal, although the problem affected Nepalese society.

Ms. Gurung emphasized that due to the simplistic approach in addressing a topic which was not spoken within the church premises, the churches in Nepal were less aware of the gravity of the problem. In this context, she assured that the new initiative would motivate young people to undertake follow-up actions.

The action plans developed during the workshop will facilitate engagement with the youth to develop a proper strategy to involve more young people in advocacy and to reach the people in rural areas.  The action plans also included the development of an advocacy strategy to demand services for testing, treatment, care and support for people living with HIV.

During the discussions, the youth affirmed that they would play a major role in advocacy among the wider communities to combat HIV and AIDS among the vulnerable population.

The workshop sessions were facilitated by Dr Ronald Lalthanmawia, Jay Roy Tipayan and Rev. Vinod Victor.

The youth motivation training held in Nepal is part of a series of programmes scheduled to engage Asian youths through CCA’s special programme 'Acting Together to Combat HIV and AIDS in Asia' ( ATCHAA).