Armondo is currently being cared for by World Hope International community volunteers.

World Hope International staff around the world are marking World AIDS Day in their own special way, some are participating in awareness parades, while others are working one-on-one with people living with HIV/AIDS. One such person is Armando who lives in Mozambique. Armando left Mozambique several years ago to work in the mines of South Africa. When he returned, he discovered he’d contracted HIV. Currently unable to get around without assistance, he and his family are being cared for by World Hope International-trained caretakers. Through community training, these caretakers learn about HIV/AIDS and how it’s spread, as well as how to best treat those who are positive.

Two World Hope International volunteers currently working in Zambia summed up the importance of working with those who are poor and are suffering from HIV/AIDS pretty well with their recent blog post about World AIDS Day.

Below are some additional resources on the current state of HIV/AIDS around the world:

• Good.com’s The Changing Face of AIDS
• The New York Times article A Decade of Progress on AIDS.

World Hope International’s HIV/AIDS Work
Thus far in 2011, World Hope International’s work with HIV/AIDS has resulted in:

• Nearly 4,200 orphans and vulnerable children affected by HIV/AIDS receiving care
• Care for more than 3,100 individuals living with HIV/AIDS
• More than 13,700 studentsreceiving information on HIV/AIDS prevention through Reach4Life.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 09/19/11

CONTACT:

Anastasia Parsons, Director of Communications/Marketing, 703-923-9414, ext. 112, anastasiaparsons@worldhope.net

WORLD HOPE INTERNATIONAL’S BOARD OF DIRECTORS ANNOUNCES CHANGE IN EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP

ALEXANDRIA, Va., September 19, 2011—After a weekend of deliberation, the Board of Directors for World Hope International (WHI) announced their selection of Dr. Thomas E. Armiger as the organization’s new chief executive officer. This change comes after the recent resignation of Dr. Karl Eastlack, who served as president and CEO for two years.

Dr. Armiger brings a great deal of knowledge about, and passion for, World Hope International to his new role, having served previously as chair of its Board of Directors for seven years. Well-known and respected throughout his denomination, Armiger currently serves as one of three General Superintendents for The Wesleyan Church. A graduate of Indian Wesleyan University and Nazarene Theological Seminary, he was ordained as a Wesleyan minister in 1979; later completing his Doctor of Ministry degree at Fuller Theological Seminary. His career has included service as a local church pastor, denomination executive and superintendent of the Virginia (now Shenandoah) district of The Wesleyan Church. In 1997, he was elected to his denomination’s highest office as General Superintendent.

“We are very pleased and excited at the depth of knowledge and experience Dr. Thomas Armiger will bring to World Hope International,” says Dr. Evvy Hay Campbell, World Hope International Board of Directors chair. “He brings a great understanding of the needs of developing countries and a heart for World Hope International’s global mission. Though we were saddened by the resignation of Dr. Eastlack and express our best wishes for his future service to Christ, we are confident in our subsequent decision of appointing Dr. Armiger as CEO.”

For more information on World Hope International, call 703-923-9414 or visit WorldHope.org.

World Hope International is a Christian relief and development organization working with vulnerable and exploited communities to alleviate poverty, suffering and injustice.

• Prolong life
• Prevent outbreaks of disease
• Promote an increase quality of life
• Increase time for economic productivity, family responsibility and spiritual life.

$3 Can Save One Life. Learn more now.

See how mangos are bringing opportunity to the people of Sierra Leone.

Founded in 2005 by long-time WHI supporter Heather Beatty, Communities United Partnership (CUP) was a five-year long collaboration between citizens of Eaton, OH, and five rural villages in the Bombali district of Sierra Leone, Africa. The partnership, which celebrated its completion in January, provided Sierra Leoneans with development resources, while simultaneously promoting awareness of global issues in Eaton. Beatty’s idea was inspired by Jeffrey Sachs’s book The End of Poverty, which asserts that, although the problem of poverty is complex and requires large-scale policy change, small endeavors can significantly alleviate the suffering of impoverished people.

Schultz, Beatty and other CUP staff focused their efforts on the three main issues facing their village partners: health care, agricultural development and education. Although the program was initiated by Americans, it has predominantly been implemented by in-country Village Development Committees (VDC)—a council of Bombali village leaders trained by WHI staff. Schultz herself spent two of the program’s five years in Sierra Leone working directly with VDC members and WHI staff to facilitate activities for village children and agricultural development, as well as teacher and staff trainings.

But CUP’s best-received programs were spiritual retreats for men and women that trained villagers how to address family conflict.

“I would have thought that the tangible things, the latrines, the goats, the buildings, would have had the most impact,” says Schultz’ husband Bryan, who traveled to Sierra Leone three times with CUP. “But they kept talking about how the retreats had improved their relationships [with one another].”

These relationships are likely to continue improving through the Women and Development Association, an organization that village members created to promote women’s and children’s rights in their communities. What’s more, the Bombali villagers are eager to pass on to neighboring communities what they’ve learned.

“The village partnership model is one that works because it empowers the community to support themselves sustainably,” Schultz says. “Now that they have the skills, you don’t know how far it will spread.”

WHI used the CUP model to develop and expand the concept in the Village Partnerships program. WHI Village Partnerships are sponsored by various communities and/or churches. If your church/community  is interested in sponsoring a village, please contact World Hope International at 888-466-4673, or whi@worldhope.net.

World Hope International has been able to do much with the generous donations that streamed in following Haiti’s devastating January 12, 2010 earthquake. One year later, Haiti is working to rebound, and World Hope International has been there every step of the way.

•    83,200 families received 12,800 food kits as part of WHI’s emergency provision.
•    68,500 bags of water were distributed to displaced Haitians living in tent cities.
•    8,500 adults, 7,300 children and 400 pregnant women have benefited from the health and wellness care provided by WHI’s mobile clinics.
•    2,500 patients received basic care from WHI’s mobile clinics.
•    337 cholera patients received dedicated treatment.
•    16,400 individuals, or 1,800 households, received hygiene and cholera prevention education.
•    7.27 tons of seeds and 145 goats were distributed to help restore Haitian agricultural, the island’s primary source of income generation.
•    300 Hope Corps volunteers from 50 teams traveled to the region to donate their time
•    800 of the earthquake’s youngest victims have received psychological evaluation and care as part of six WHI children’s camps.
•    210 students will continue their education with the completion of one, new school building.
•    34,000 Haitians have received disease prevention information and training thanks to WHI’s volunteer force.
•    2,700 Haitians were put back to work through rubble clearing employment opportunities.

Work Still to Do

One year later, through the support of compassionate people such as you, Haiti is recovering, but the nation is far from recovered. World Hope International has been dedicated to the renewal of Haiti since 1996. Our efforts before and after January 12, 2010 have helped manage the aftermath, but there is work still to do.

Donate Today!

Contribute to World Hope International’s effort to help Haiti rebound by donating today.

The first 100 to give $30 or more will receive a special Remember Haiti t-shirt.