Nigerian Muslim women fight AIDS
Joanna Hiebert Bergen Joanna Hiebert Bergen, an MCC Nigeria representative, writes about an August 27 workshop for Muslim women in Jos, Nigeria, on preventing HIV/AIDS. Forty Moslem women gathered within the walls of Jos's central mosque on Saturday. Their ambition was to learn about safe procedures in childbirth. Thirty-five of the women at the full-day workshop were traditional birth attendants working in their Muslim communities. The primary purpose of their coming to this particular workshop was to learn about HIV/AIDS transmission and prevention as it related to their tasks as midwives. The conference room of the mosque was picturesque with women clothed in bright Nigerian fabrics and silk head wraps. They were seated in a semicircle, facing the five facilitators with rapt attention. The 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. workshop was interactive. The facilitators took questions and asked for responses. Information was posted on chart paper and spread out around the room. One speaker, a nurse, demonstrated proper birthing procedures using the materials to be handed out to the women at the end of the conference — rubber gloves, sterile razors, bleach, a plastic sheet, a bucket for sterilization of materials, a scale and HIV test kits. An MCC partner organization, Association of Concerned Community Women, organized the workshop. Amina Ahmed, the chairperson for the organization, warmly welcomed me, Joanna Hiebert Bergen, MCC Nigeria representative. I was given an opportunity to address the women and encourage them. I briefly introduced MCC as a Christian organization wishing to work hand-in-hand with the Muslim community on issues such as HIV/AIDS and peace — both of which are in line with the goals of Association of Concerned Community Women. I stated that as women, our goal is creating a better world for the future lives of our children.
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