Pastoral and Bio-medical Responses to HIV and AIDS by the Lutheran Communion in Southern Africa (LUCSA): Case Study of the Thusanang HIV & AIDS Project and Manama Mission Hospital in Zimbabwe

This article is an exposition of the Pastoral and Biomedical Responses to HIV and AIDS programming by LUCSA. This was done through engaging with members and workers of the church regarding their experiences of Home Based Care (HBC) training as a way of managing and holistically responding to the HIV and AIDS epidemic. This study explores the impact of the training for caregivers, nursing staff and pastors in HIV and AIDS management through a case study of the Thusanang HIV & AIDS project and Manama Mission Hospital of the Western Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Zimbabwe (ELCZ) in Gwanda South. The study concludes that skills training in HBC and Palliative Care have made a positive and remarkable impact on the lives and work of HBC givers and pastors and that such training has contributed to the retention of caregivers