His Reverence Grigor, a priest at the Center, teaches the children to pray before a meal
Anna was diagnosed with HIV 7 years ago
Pray children suffering from HIV
“When I found out that I am contagious, life was over for me. My hope was my only child, my daughter was 6 years old at the time – I found the strength to live not for myself, but only for her, because I was expecting death every moment, death was imminent for me. I was afraid of even looking out of the window, because it seemed to me that everyone knew about my disease”, told Anna who had been suffering from HIV for 7 years already during a conversation with “Aravot”. Despite, after being diagnosed, she was explained at theRepublicanCenterfor AIDS Prevention that there was anti-retrovirus treatment that prolonged life and it was still possible to continue respectable life, according to her, “nevertheless one doesn’t perceive anything at that moment, one’s ears do not listen”. Afterwards when the child was 10 years old, Anna decided to share with her daughter and say that she is infected with HIV, “I explained that I was not guilty, that her daddy infected me, I was very surprised when she immediately understood what I had said, she went ‘Mummy, life is not over, I need you, you must take medicine to live.’ She made me start treatment, I didn’t want. Now I dream only of one thing, to manage 
bringing my daughter up for a while, in order that she becomes independent, then come what may.” Anna’s husband was addicted to drugs, died of AIDS, “I always heard on TV inRussia‘AIDS, HIV’, but I would never imagine that it would affect me.”
We talked to Anna in theDayCenterfor People Suffering from HIV of the Araratian Patriarchal Diocese of theArmenianApostolicChurch. Here they are preaching the Holy Bible to people, hold spiritual courses, and provide social, psychological assistance.DayCenterserves as day-care on Saturdays. The issue is that before admitting a child to the day-care it is necessary to provide information what diseases he suffers from. The parent faces a dilemma – she cannot help but tell, and when she tells either the child is not admitted or she is isolated. Ruzanna Shmavonyan, the coordinator of the Center, told that there had been a precedent in one of the regions, “We were compelled to send a social worker to explain that the child was no threat to anyone. If something like this happens again, we will raise the issue up to the ministry, because children should not be treated like that. Many children suffering from HIV are very successful, God is just, he always helps them and it is impermissible not to allow them to study, to go to school or to the day-care, explaining that they are sick.” For the children that do not go to the day-care the Center is the only source of happiness, they play, eat, sleep there, till parents come from work and take them home. There are under-age people who know about their disease – a psychiatrist works with them, “They know that they differ. He particularly works with those under-age people in order that they do not give up.” The Center helps the people suffering from HIV to find a job. In response to our question “do you tell the employer that you are contagious?”, R. Shmavonyan said no, “There are many diseases, in case of which they classify, in case of these diseases, nobody is classified, they are not a threat to the society.” His Reverence Grigor, the director of the Center, thinks, “According to the Armenian Church position, HIV/AIDS are not a punishment for sinners, let alone a sentence. Sin is given to man not to perish, but to think of eternal values. Disease is an opportunity to confess the sins and to repent and not to be socially stigmatized. We preach to the people suffering from HIV-AIDS preserving God’s commandments, giving up sin and confessing.” People diagnosed with HIV often try to commit suicide. In order to help them out, His Reverence Grigor reminds, “Despite a man is suffering from HIV or not, his life is as precious for the God, as of any other human being.”
HRIPSIME JEBEJYAN
