Nov 10
30
World AIDS Day
Thirty years into the global HIV/AIDS epidemic, we’ve begun to receive encouraging news. UNAIDS has gone so far as to announce that “the world has turned the corner.” While new infection rates stabilize and begin to fall in the heaviest hit areas, advances in anti-retroviral therapy keep millions of people with HIV/AIDS living full and productive lives.
We’ve stopped the disease in its tracks and begun to force a retreat.
This is an exciting time to be involved in efforts to eradicate HIV/AIDS. We still have a long way to go, and World Hope International (WHI), with your help, seeks to maintain and ramp up the momentum.
CELEBRATING GAINS, MOURNING LOSS
World AIDS Day, which falls on December 1, is a perfect time to join the fight. WHI will observe World AIDS day in Haiti, Mozambique, South Africa, and Zambia by sponsoring soccer tournaments, parades, and church and community events. We’ll use these forums to celebrate successes, to mourn the loss of millions of lives, to raise awareness of HIV prevention methods, and to promote healthy sexual behavior.
For WHI, HIV/AIDS prevention and care isn’t just about a day. It’s something we do every day, an integral part of our efforts to promote holistic wellbeing and sustainable growth across the globe.
Our Reach4Life (R4L) program – an engaging, Bible-based course in HIV prevention – provides youth with tools for healthy decision-making. December 1 will be a busy day for students and volunteers in the R4L program. WHI-sponsored activities will include a series of dramatic performances, a poetry reading, and a march culminating in a candlelit vigil.
WHI currently provides care and support for people living with HIV/AIDS as well as orphans and vulnerable children in 92 communities around the world. The Village Development Program, an exciting new initiative on the docket for February 2011, will focus on establishing food security, providing safe drinking water, and bolstering HIV care and prevention efforts. Communities lacking stable food supplies and water access are particularly vulnerable to the spread of HIV/AIDS, as unprotected transactional sex becomes a means of obtaining essential resources.
While recent reports have been encouraging, HIV/AIDS has not gone away, and until it does WHI will be on the frontlines.
DOING SOMETHING
There are many ways to get involved in the effort to eradicate HIV/AIDS – as an individual or as a church. Show your support for World AIDS Day by wearing a red ribbon to demonstrate concern about HIV/AIDS and to remind others of the need for their support and commitment. Contact WHI for information on contributing toward our Reach4Life or Village Development initiatives, or for guidance on organizing a fundraising event at your church or community center.