Completed Projects

“Smiles for Life” Dental project in Bangladesh –in partnership with HEED Bangladesh– completed

The rural people of Bangladesh are among the poorest of the poor. This excellent, well thought out primary dental health care project has the potential to be a model for dental health care throughout the whole country. It focuses on improving dental health at grassroots level, using local resources and minimal input from fully trained dentists.

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International Christian Medical and Dental Association Bursary Fund – completed

The “Health and Hope”, 13^th World ICMDA congress was held in Sydney, July 2006 and was a great success. It included four pre-congress seminars. “Hope for those with HIV” attracted a significant amount of interest and attention particularly from those in developing countries but few of them could afford to attend the congress without assistance. HealthServe Australia was able to sponsor 53 medical workers from 14 developing countries to attend, to learn and to share experiences in an international setting on vital subjects that would assist them in their ongoing professional development.

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Morogoro community health training – completed

Through this project Dr Msey in Tanzania upgraded his expertise in community health to better serve his community.

November 2008 Visit by Canon Gideon Byamugisha

It was a delight to have Rev. Canon Gideon Byamugisha visit Australia and speak at numerous locations in Brisbane, Sydney, Adelaide and Melbourne over a two week period in November 2008. His flights and accommodation were provided by HealthServe Australia.

He is driven by a passion for the dignity and rights of all people, especially those marginalised, stigmatised and discriminated against because of their HIV-positive status.

Humble yet courageous, Canon Gideon calls upon people world wide to spread hope about HIV through

Peer education, counselling,

Home-based care, practical help and prayer

and points to an array of outstanding work with which people can engage.

Rev.Canon Gideon Byamugisha was supported in this visit by HealthServe Australia and SIMaid.

He is an ordained priest in the Church of Uganda. In 1992, he became the first African religious leader to openly declare his HIV-positive status and has since devoted his life to an AIDS ministry. This has taken him to over 40 countries in sub-Saharan Africa and many other parts of the world.

He has played leading roles in the Church of Uganda's AIDS program, the Uganda AIDS Commission, World Vision International, the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance, special conferences of the United Nations, and in founding the African Network of Religious Leaders living with or Affected by HIV and AIDS.

Gideon has successfully challenged AIDS-related stigma, denial and discrimination within and outside the church. He has corrected wrong and misleading information about HIV and AIDS, and provided accurate and relevant information in a clear, easily understandable manner. He has spread awareness of the multi-sectoral dimensions of the AIDS pandemic, especially the ways in which people's choices are influenced by poverty, gender discrimination, cultural practices and sexual violence. He argues that HIV and AIDS are both preventable and manageable.

For a precis of Canon Gideon's talks see (more...)

Links of interest

Canon Gideon on ABC, BBC

Is the decrease in HIV/AIDS in Uganda due to abstinence programs?

Does the world see churches as friend of foe in combatting AIDS?

What is the Christian medical and dental community doing about HIV/AIDS?

http://www.christianaid.org.uk/aboutus/whatwedo/activists/canon_gideon_byamugisha.aspx

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/4433069.stm

http://www.abc.net.au/rn/religionreport/stories/2006/1697057.htm

http://www.avert.org/aidsuganda.htm History of AIDS in Uganda - very intersesting

Journal List > Afr Health Sci > v.7(1); Mar 2007 Examining the actions of faith-based organizations and their influence on HIV/AIDS-related stigma: A case study of Uganda

http://www.icmdahivinitiative.org/