Northern Virginia AIDS Ministry Moves Into F.C.

Though it moved in at the beginning of December, the Northern Virginia AIDS Ministry (NOVAM) has waited until today to publicly unveil to the community of Falls Church its relocation to offices here. It will do it with an open house from 4 to 7 p.m. today, Jan. 27, at its new offices that enjoy spectacular views on the top floor at 803 W. Broad Street. The public is invited.

Founded in 1987, NOVAM has made it its ministry to provide AIDS-related services and fight the spread of the disease in the Northern Virginia region. It has been a difficult task, requiring tenacity in the face of an epidemic that continues to grow, and support that has waxed and waned over time with the political winds and public trends.

While it has several programs, the mission of the ministry comes down to two essential goals; educating others to prevent the disease from spreading, and providing services for those living with HIV and AIDS. Its mandate is to fill the gaps that exist in the AIDS services provided by the federal and local governments.

From its founding, the group made its work with young people a primary focus, hoping to prevent future infections by educating them about the possible effects of risky behavior.

Executive Director Nathan Monell told the News-Press that young people tend to take more risks as part of learning about the world.

“There’s a sense of invulnerability that young people have,” he said.

But by giving young people accurate information, Monell believes that NOVAM can have an impact in the times when youth end up having to make difficult decisions about their behavior and the precautions they take.

One of the most important parts is dispelling the myths that surround the disease. While people have gained a greater general knowledge about the disease, Monell said there is also a lot of misinformation.

Another challenge for those working with NOVAM is to get past the initial resistance that many teenagers have when they feel they are being lectured to. NOVAM works to get past this through their peer education program, where they recruit students to teach them about AIDS and how to educate their friends and fellow students about the facts and risks posed by the disease.

One of the secrets to making peer education work is not to select the top students, but rather, those students who teachers feel show potential as leaders but are still working to assert themselves. The training not only helps spread information among that student’s peers, but it also serves as an intensive leadership training program.

Another effective educational tool has been NOVAM's Face to Face program, which brings people living with AIDS to the classroom to talk with the students and give them a sense of the reality of the disease.

The other side of NOVAM’s mission is in providing necessary services to those affected by the disease. One of the most popular programs is the transportation service. The organization provides rides for those living with AIDS, when they need medical or other support services. Monell said that many people living with AIDS were, prior to being infected, already facing challenges in making ends meet and often didn’t have access to a car. Now, faced with the additional burden of AIDS the struggle can be overwhelming without the assistance of the ministry.

The difficulties can also have impact on children living with a parent suffering from AIDS. While better information and advice has made transmission from parent to child rarer, the situation is still challenging for children whose parents are infected. The goal of the ministry is to help out in any way possible to make sure that the child has as normal a childhood as possible, whether it’s getting kids involved in camps, taking them on field trips, helping out during the holidays, or assisting them through the grieving process, in the event that they are facing the death of a parent.

Throughout NOVAM's work, Monell said that the term of “ministry” is vital. The organization was founded by religious leaders from local congregations as a direct way to assist those suffering from the disease. Since then, they have maintained their spiritual focus even as they have spread across multiple faiths and denominations. Last year, 125 religious groups from 11 denominations provided support with money and human services.

But faith-based support goes beyond the money and services. NOVAM makes it part of their mission to encourage people to pursue their spiritual journey, whatever that means for them.

“Spirituality is a very important part of wellness,” Monell said. “You can’t ignore the spirit and say you are paying attention to them as a whole person.”