Religion and the Agency of Young People Living with HIV in Africa
摘要
The African Union Agenda 2063 envisions an integrated, peaceful, and prosperous Africa presenting a dynamic force in the international arena. Realizing this vision requires that Africa achieves Sustainable Development Goal 3 by promoting the health of people of all ages and Sustainable Development Goal 5 by promoting gender equality. One of the major challenges that the continent must address to achieve this is the HIV/AIDS pandemicHIV and AIDS pandemic that has persisted in Africa since the twentieth century. As a social determinant of health, religion has a significant role to play in transforming this narrative, and African young people are key in ensuring that this role is fulfilled. Given that they constitute the majority of Africa’s population and by extension forming majority of the members of the various religious organizations in Africa, African young people are perceived as the major stakeholders of all aspects of Africa’s sustainable development, including matters of health and healing. In many contexts, the African young people have taken this charge with inspiring commitment and are living the change they want to see on the continent. Among these are the young people living with HIV in Africa, who, through their personal and collective agency, act toward ending the HIV/AIDS pandemic. This chapter discusses the nature and sources of inspiration for the agency against HIV/AIDS among young people living with HIV in Africa and its role in promoting health and healing. Additionally, it highlights the role of religion in advancing this agency.