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World AIDS Day Announcement
STREET.COM (NY, NY) (WWW)
Street.com (The) (NY, NY) via World Wide Web
11/30/2001
Source Website:
http://www.thestreet.com
The Balm In Gilead Launches International Program to Engage Churches in Six
African Countries in Addressing AIDS Nation's Only AIDS Organization Targeting
Black Churches Now Expands Its Work To Churches in Sub-Saharan Africa.
NEW YORK, Nov. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- For World AIDS Day 2001, The Balm In Gilead,
the nation's only organization dedicated exclusively to empowering churches to
address HIV/AIDS in the Black community, announces the launch of its new international
faith-based initiative. With funding from the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), The Balm In Gilead's African Faith Initiative is designed to
engage churches in addressing HIV/AIDS in six African countries: Cote d'Ivoire,
Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe. "With privilege and
honor, The Balm In Gilead accepts the call to expand its commitment to work with
faith communities to address the impact of the AIDS epidemic on the African continent,"
says Pernessa Seele, CEO and Founder, The Balm In Gilead.
"This historical initiative will motivate the leadership of faith communities
to seek effective and culturally appropriate ways to address the destructive force
of AIDS throughout the African Diaspora." The participation of religious
institutions and leaders in addressing HIV/AIDS throughout Africa is essential.
The Balm In Gilead's Africa initiative will work closely with the faith communities
within each country to seek ways that faith-based organizations can use their
influence, resources and public forums for a number of vital efforts including:
disseminating HIV prevention education; supporting interventions that help decrease
mother-to- child HIV transmission; encouraging and assisting with voluntary HIV
testing and counseling programs; and addressing the horrendous challenge of children
orphaned by AIDS. In 1998, 67 percent of the world's AIDS cases were in Sub-Saharan
Africa -- an estimate of 22.5 million cases.
The World Health Organization reveals that the disease is the leading cause
of death in Africa. In the United States, AIDS is the number one cause of death
for African American men and women aged 25 to 44, before heart disease, cancer
and homicide. The Balm In Gilead is the only organization in the United States
dedicated exclusively to empowering churches to address HIV/AIDS in the Black
community. Over the past 13 years, The Balm In Gilead's pioneering achievements
have enabled thousands of churches to become leaders in preventing HIV by providing
comprehensive educational programs and offering compassionate support to encourage
those infected to seek and maintain treatment.
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