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Kale Heywet Church Receives Red Ribbon Award for its HIV and AIDS Work
22 December 2006
woman preparing coffee
A woman prepares coffee in the
traditional "bunna tettu"

The Kale Heywet Church (KHC), SIM's partner church in Ethiopia, was honored as a Red Ribbon Award finalist at the XVI International AIDS Conference in Toronto held in August 2006. The "Red Ribbon Award: Celebrating Community Leadership and Action on AIDS" recognizes communities who are finding innovative and effective ways to address HIV and AIDS.

Reducing the Stigma with Coffee

The KHC and HOPE for AIDS strategy for Ethiopia centers on the Medan Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT) Centers. The Center in Awassa, Southern Ethiopia, was honored for its efforts focusing on behavior and attitudes towards HIV and AIDS. By working to reduce the stigma and mobilize volunteers to care for people living with AIDS, the center is making an impact in the community.

The church's innovative approach has been the use of "Bunna Tettu," the traditional Ethiopian coffee drinking ceremony. This is an important part of Ethiopian culture where friends and neighbors discuss local issues while drinking coffee. It has been an effective way to educate Ethiopians about HIV and AIDS.

     
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KHC volunteers have organized more than 7,000 bunna tettu gatherings at the homes of 620 people living with AIDS, where they present information and lead informal conversations about HIV.

International Recognition

The 25 Red Ribbon Award finalists were recognized on stage at the XVI International AIDS Conference. They also were given their own booth in the Community Dialogue Space. This fulfills the purpose of the Red Ribbon Award: "to become an important vehicle for ensuring that voices from communities from developing countries are honoured and heard at International Conferences."

The church also received a $5,000 prize for their efforts. The Red Ribbon Award is a joint effort of the Leadership and Community Programme Committees of the International AIDS Conference, supported by the U.N. Development Program for UNAIDS.

Read more about this initiative from the Ecumenical Advisory Alliance

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