SAFEHAVEN

Safehaven is a support group for Christians who happen to be gay. Safehaven is one of the ministries of the Free Community Church, Singapore.

Safehaven has a two-fold vision. Firstly it provides a safe environment in which gay Christians who are struggling to reconcile their sexuality with their faith can explore reconciliation between faith and sexuality while interacting with other gay Christians who have embarked on similar journeys. Secondly Safehaven provides Christian cell group communities where gay Christians can integrate the faith and sexuality and share life together.

Link: Safehaven Website
Link: Free Community Church Website

ACTION FOR AIDS

Saving Lives. Transforming Mindsets.

Each year, babies are born with HIV/AIDS and couples who dream of starting a family are hampered by HIV. It is for these neglected groups of people who suffer or would suffer from HIV/AIDS that we, a group of concerned medical and legal professionals, parents and educators, in collaboration with Action for AIDS (AfA), are seeking to raise funds and increase awareness through the affect05 concert.

Babies born with HIV/AIDS

Baby Ariq, an adopted child, was diagnosed with HIV when he was five months old. Today, Ariq is four years old but doctors say he may not live beyond five. Until this year, there was no specific PMTCT program (Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission) where an HIV mother could take Anti-retroviral medication (AZT or Nevirapine) to prevent her baby from being infected. But even so, many mothers have no access to this medication and their HIV positive children may be infected with AIDS. Treatment cost is $1200-1500 per month for the therapy required by these children.

Couples whose dream of starting a family are hampered by HIV

The government has suggested HIV testing for couples before they get married but the authorities have yet to propose how cheap and accessible medical treatment would be made available to those couples, who would or has been tested positive for HIV, and cannot afford treatment.

Dedicated to fighting HIV/AIDS

AfA is the only non-profit organization in Singapore dedicated to fighting HIV/AIDS. Providing mothers and children with Anti-retroviral medication is AfA’s priority. In addition, the AfA Endowment Fund provides financial assistance to needy persons with HIV/AIDS. But AfA continually requires funding to ensure that these mothers, children and couples have easy and speedy access to Anti-retroviral medication. Other forms of psychological support are also provided by AfA’s Family Support Network for HIV patients and their family members.

In addition to the treatment measures, we agree with the health authorities that the most important preventive measure against the spread of AIDS is public health education. Thus we endorse the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). It prescribes the ABC message: Abstinence; Be Faithful to one’s partner; and Consistent and Correct Use of Condoms.

Link: Action for Aids (AfA) Singapore