I recently attended a meeting in Washington DC titled, Prescription for Hope, a
meeting hosted by Samaritans Purse. Its purpose is to encourage networking
between churches and ministries in the US and churches in Africa that have
developed ministries and programs to address the needs of those infected and
affected by AIDS in their communities
While I will share more in the future, there are some things that came out of
these meetings that need to be shared immediately. The medical and scientific
reports presented by a number of people concluded there will be no HIV/AIDS
vaccine in the foreseeable future. This reality check needs to
be heard by everybody particularly in developed nations because people,
organizations, and governments have been holding back supportive activities
waiting for a vaccine to be developed whose cost they would help underwrite. A
vaccine is 10 to 20 years away at this point in time, far too late to help
interdict the pandemic crises already in progress in Africa, and now rapidly
spreading in India, Russia (eastern Europe), and Central America. Therefore
only prevention and treatment will bring this disease under control.
The only major success story in reducing HIV/AIDS incidence is in Uganda where
the incidence rate has been cut in half as a result of a national program to
promote abstinence before marriage and fidelity in marriage. The problem in
African and many developing nations is that with out treatment, there will be
over 10 million orphans within 5 years. The specter of orphans who are not
cared for is absolutely terrifying because they will be vulnerable to the
exploiters and anybody who will give food, and a place and a purpose to live.
Only a few years ago, orphaned children in Sierra Leone were trained to be
child soldiers who contributed to the brutal atrocities committed in that
nation. Just think what could happen if and when this happens in Russia. The
threat of HIV/AIDS to democratic government, or even civil governments that are
not quite democratic, is enormous. Frankly the eventual threat of
terrorism as a result of HIV/AIDS is far more profound and greater and than
what al-Qaeda represents. Already in Malawi, there are twice as many deaths of
school teachers and college professors than are trained annually. The same is
happening in all other professions that are essential for civil society to
exist. This is a wake up call to those who live in developed nations.
Action by Blessings
In the meantime, Blessings International is developing relationships with
Christian ministries and church based organizations to assist their efforts to
care for victims of AIDS. In particular we desire to help the children and
their mothers or care givers who are victims of HIV/AIDS with medicines and
vitamins. Our first shipment has already been received in Africa specifically
for this purpose.
The following was taken from a previous Prayer Letter...
Dear Friend of Blessings,
I recently attended a conference sponsored by the Christian Connections on
International Health on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. Following this
meeting, many participants including my wife, Linda, and I attended the annual
retreat where we were truly blessed to get to know many of our African brothers
who attended the CCIH meeting and who were also speakers at the Global Health
Council meeting following the retreat. It was wonderful to have perhaps 15 or
so African representatives from Uganda, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, and
Nigeria in attendance, all of whom have established and run ministries to serve
AIDS victims and their families. It was especially good for me to get to know
these Christians, some of whom are AIDS victims themselves. Our informal time
of sharing in the retreat that followed made me realize that I have never
personally known anybody with AIDS before. It was also a revelation to me that
African churches suffer the same disconnection with AIDS victims as churches in
the west, namely a lack of willingness to identify with the problem.
But first I need to give some figures for the enormity of the health problem
posed by these three big killers among all transmittable diseases: HIV/AIDS:
36 million cases, 2 million deaths/year; Tuberculosis: 2 billion active
and non-active cases (1/3 of the worlds population) but 8 million new active
cases/year; 2 million deaths/year; 70% of HIV infected patients are also
infected with TB. Malaria: 300-500 million cases/year, 1 million
deaths/year, 90% in Africa in children under 5 years. By way of comparison,
there are 3.5 million deaths from all respiratory infections and 2 million
deaths from diarrhea annually. The latter are fairly easy to manage with
antibiotics and oral rehydration solutions respectively. AIDS Orphans: 15
million, largely in Africa. This number is greater than the number of young
children in California and Texas combined.
These numbers are staggering and indeed overwhelming. But we must stir ourselves
to become active in managing this problem if for no other reason that the
combination of AIDS and TB presents a very real danger to those who have very
little risk of contracting HIV/AIDS. One case of active TB can potentially
infect up to 25 people daily due to its casual airborne transmission. While it
was once readily curable with antibiotics, inadequate therapy in a large
percentage of cases in developing nations has lead to an alarming rise of
multi-drug resistance in many parts of the world including the US. There are no
effective new TB medicines in development.
The situation seems so overwhelming that what any one person or ministry does
seems like a few drops in a sea of need. Yet I believe it is overdue that all
of us get involved. The situation isnt as hopeless as our minds would have us
believe based upon the above statistics. At least in Africa, orphaned children
are readily cared for by neighbors. Institutional orphanages, which are very
expensive and untimely, are not necessary. The question is whether help should
be provided using a bottom-up approach (community or church based), or a
top-down approach (big government). The last meeting I attended was an awards
banquet of the Global Health Council. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annon spoke of
his drive to raise 10 billion dollars for treatment of AIDS patients with drugs
to arrest the AIDS virus. Yet from experience, only one of every three or one
in every four dollars would ever reach patients in the form of medicines and
services, the rest being absorbed by bureaucracies. Experience also teaches
that the funding of such large programs lasts only a few years, while the
problem of AIDS will require major on-going efforts for
at least a decade in the same way that will be required for treatment of TB and
malaria control. My own choice is to connect with a bottom-up approach.
Indeed the more quickly we act to support existing locally based ministries, the
greater the number of AIDS victims that can be assisted on a given budget. The
sooner we can provide assistance to the HIV infected mothers, the more such
mothers can do to help raise their own and other children within their
remaining life-time. Obviously their life-time would be longer if at least some
AIDS medicines were provided. The challenge is simply having enough adults to
help raise AIDS orphans. But even in the absence of AIDS medicines, it is in
the best interest of such AIDS victims to provide assistance to primary care
givers while such care givers have health and strength to do so. Woe to us as
Christians if we chose not to provide help even though we cannot provide
sufficient help for everyone in need. If individuals and churches would get
behind ministries and churches in Africa that are attempting to address the
problem, much would be accomplished. Nobody will be judged by the Lord for not
solving the AIDS crisis. But we will be held accountable if we dont try our
best to deal with this problem.
Allow me to share about one ministry whose director I came to know while at
these meetings in Washington DC. With a staff of seven, the following services
are provided to HIV/AIDS patients and their families: (1) Free medical services
to treat the many opportunistic infections so prevalent in this population; (2)
Counseling for people who get AIDS (3) Home visitation to help HIV/AIDS
patients and families deal with the social stigma of this disease, the
accompanying rejection and loneliness, as well as to minister spiritually to
the families; (4) Abstinence clubs are run in the secondary schools to teach
and encourage students to avoid making a mistake that could cost them their
lives. Rather than promote the use of condoms, they stress the need to live a
life transformed by a commitment to Jesus, obedience to Biblical principles
that lead to a life of spiritual and physical purity. Similar programs are
provided for churches. (5) Small micro-economic loans to improve the
productivity of AIDS families. Currently this ministry is providing care to
about 150 AIDS patients plus about 200 children. An additional 80 people
(patients and children) can be cared for by increasing their budget by
$100/month! Blessings is planning to help provide medicines for this ministry.
As mentioned above, I was shocked when I heard that African churches have as
much difficulty in addressing the AIDS problem as churches here. Nobody wants
to take responsibility or ownership for the problem. Sure the church didnt
cause the problem. But this attitude blunts the expression of compassion.
Taking ownership and responsibility for addressing the AIDS problem by churches
I believe will come with confession of our need for continual purification of
any thought that does not glorify God. Realizing that we have all fallen short
and need Gods grace daily, we will become gracious and compassionate towards
AIDS patients and their family members in the same way Jesus is compassionate
to us every day.
Prayer Request
I ask for your prayers as Blessings begins its effort to assist AIDS patients
and their families through existing Christian ministries in Africa. We need
wisdom and discernment as in any new venture. I also ask you to pray about any
leading the Lord may give you to join us in this effort with your giving as
well as your prayers.
Your Servants in the Lord,
Harold & Linda Harder