World AIDS Day - December 1

World AIDS Day was first declared by the World Health Organization and the United Nations General Assembly in 1988. Since then, it has become one of the most successful “international days” for raising awareness on a global issue.
 

Despite the fact that HIV awareness has reached nearly all areas of the globe, infection rates are still 2.7 times greater than the number of people receiving treatment. In 2007, almost half of all new HIV infections in adults were among young people aged 15-24 years.


Stigma and discrimination continue to be a major threat in access to prevention, medical care and support.


Make a difference on December 1st. Break the stigma of AIDS. Become a Guardian of Hope.


Click here to download the World AIDS Day bulletin insert for your church.
 
Click here for more information on CBM's HIV and AIDS program, Guardians of Hope.

Here are two inspiring stories of people who are engaged in the fight against AIDS in their own unique way. They are part of CBM’s Guardians of Hope Program. One group is in Canada. One in Kenya. Together they are reaching out to those most impacted in this pandemic through local church-based initiatives.

 

Walking for Water in Canada

Imagine having to carry all the water you need each day. How many buckets would it take for your bathing, cooking and cleaning? 

Think you could muster the strength to endure 2 kilometres, carrying a pail full of water?

 

That’s exactly what people of Heron Park Baptist Church in Scarborough, Ontario attempted in their Burden Walk on Saturday, October 18th. At the end of the day, they raised over $4,000 for CBM’s Guardians of Hope, a grassroots, church-based program that reaches out to those most impacted by HIV and AIDS in Africa. 

One of the event organizers, Wayne Monaghan, shared their experience.  “Only a few of our members have ever carried water for home use. Most of us have no sense of the burden this represents. For many families in Africa, it comprises a significant part of the day for one or more family members. We wanted our church and community to gain a sense of this one burden and be able to respond.  Nearly half of our congregation, 120 people, went out on the street with our plastic blue pails full of water. We got more than a little reaction from people along the way as we walked two kilometres up Lawrence Avenue, a major thoroughfare in the east end of Toronto. Our oldest participant, who at 82 is waiting for knee replacement surgery, put her pail in the basket of her walker and walked the whole way. Incidentally, she also raised the most money in pledges!"

Building a clinic in Kenya
One of the newest Guardians of Hope groups is in Uthithuni, a farming village in Kenya. It was started by 25 women who wanted to help the high numbers of orphans and widows/widowers left in their midst as a result of HIV and AIDS. They came up with the idea of contributing food and clothing and providing emotional support to the most vulnerable. They hoped to bring relief to the suffering and counter the stigma, cultural practices and poverty that often accompanies AIDS.

 
With support from CBM and the Africa Brotherhood Church, the group was trained in HIV and AIDS awareness, home-based care, and income generating activities such as tie-dye, agro-forestry, brick making and cooking. Working with their local resources - a river, sand, land and sisal fibre – they started to meet once a week to make bricks in order to build a clinic. There is no other health facility nearby.  They have completed their clinic and now dream of building a preschool for children who must walk great distances fraught with many dangers to get to school.

Another issue in their area is low literacy levels which lead to challenges such as unemployment, prostitution and drug abuse among most of theyoung people. Guardians of Hope helps to keep children in school by providing funds for school fees and uniforms. We also provide vocational skills training and small business loans. A key element in all our programming is awareness and prevention activities, especially among youth.
 
AIDS is the leading cause of death worldwide for people aged 15 to 49. Today more than 32 million people are infected with the devastating disease.

Since the launch of Guardians of Hope in 2004, there are now over 136 groups like Uthithuni across Kenya, Rwanda and Angola who are making a difference.  As groups grow and are able to carry on their activities with less outside support, the funds are reallocated to areas where other groups are waiting for resources to extend their support. With the program expanding into India, our funding of HIV and AIDS ministry in 2009 will require $350,000.

Consider becoming a Guardian of Hope today by making an online donation to help HIV and AIDS today.

Mark Dec 1st in your calendar and take time to remember Guardians of Hope on WORLD AIDS DAY.