The Challenge

In the early 2000s, Bangladesh faced rising HIV/AIDS risks alongside widespread stigma, silence, and misinformation. With mosques at the center of community life, imams had the power to influence attitudes, yet no culturally sensitive curriculum existed to equip them to address HIV/AIDS from the pulpit.

What We Did

• Designed a national curriculum on HIV/AIDS tailored for imams, with input from government, NGOs, UN agencies, and people living with HIV.

• Organized a national workshop bringing together key stakeholders, including the Islamic Foundation Bangladesh, to ensure religious and cultural alignment.

• Trained 150 imams in Mongla, providing them with knowledge and tools to integrate HIV/AIDS awareness into Friday sermons.

• Expanded outreach through women’s groups, linking mosque-based interventions with 100 local microcredit circles to reach women in their communities.

• Produced and distributed 1,000 training manuals and 1,000 posters, ensuring sustainable and replicable messaging across villages.

Impact

• First National Curriculum: Established Bangladesh’s first HIV/AIDS training manual for imams.

• Community Reach: 50,000+ villagers received accurate information through weekly sermons.

• Gender Inclusion: 100 women’s groups engaged in conversations around HIV/AIDS.

• Stigma Reduction: HIV-positive people’s involvement ensured dignity and relevance in messaging.

• Scalability: The model was replicated by NGOs and community-based organizations nationwide.

Lessons Learned

• Faith leaders are powerful allies in shifting community attitudes when engaged with respect.

• Involving HIV-positive people in program design makes interventions more authentic and impactful.

• Pairing mosque-based work with women’s groups expands reach and challenges gendered silences.

Quote

“Now our community understands HIV as a health issue we can fight together.” — Local Imam, Mongla Upazila