Africa Jesuit AIDS Network marks its first decade
Vatican Radio - A 16th century Jesuit saint and a Congolese midwife murdered
in 1964 are the two patrons of a network of religious in Africa dedicated to caring
for those affected by HIV and AIDS. The African Jesuit AIDS Network, or AJAN, was
set up on June 21st 2002 by the Jesuit Superiors of Africa and Madagascar,
as a means of supporting religious already working in AIDS ministry and of developing
a continent wide response that could be adapted to the different local circumstances.The daily work of the organisation is entrusted to the protection of St. Aloysius Gonzaga, a 16th century Jesuit whose feast day falls on June 21st. The young Italian nobleman renounced his life of luxury to become a priest and gave his life caring for victims of a deadly plague. He died as a young man in Rome in 1591. The other patron of the network is blessed Anuarite Nengapeta, a young Holy family sister who worked as a midwife and was murdered for resisting the sexual demands of a rebel leader in Congo in 1964.
At its headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya this week, celebrations will mark the first 10 years since the official founding of the network, giving thanks especially for the many resourceful and creative forms of AIDS ministry that have sprung up over the past decade. Taking part in those celebrations is the founder and first coordinator of AJAN Jesuit Fr Michael Czerny who talked to Vatican Radio's Philippa Hitchen about the achievements and the new challenges facing the network today:
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