This guide book is based on a training method called interactive or participatory learning. This means that the information and ideas will be learnt in groups. If there are several pastoral caregivers in your clinic or outreach community programme, it will be helpful if all of you do it together. This will give you a chance to discuss and share your ideas and problems. If you work together, you will be able to work out common plans for an HIV/AIDS education programme for your clinic or outreach community programme.

This guide book does not contain a lot of information for you to memorise. Instead, you will be asked to think and talk out. You will also be required to apply what you learn in your home visits. By the end of this training process, the pastoral caregivers should have acquired knowledge about HIV and AIDS and physical and spiritual care. They should have learnt, through the stories, to empathise with, not sympathise with the sufferers and their families. Pastoral caregivers should acquire a non-judgmental attitude. This will help to reduce the pressure of social stigma. Most importantly, pastoral caregivers should have the knowledge and skills necessary to help sufferers reconcile with God, their family and friends and themselves. What they need most is spiritual inner peace.