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The Balm In Gilead Leads Delegation on Five Country African Mission To
PR Newswire (WWW)
03.18.02
Organization Dedicated Exclusively to Organizing African American Churches
In US to Fight AIDS Expands its Successful Approaches to Africa. NEW YORK, --
Pernessa C. Seele, CEO and Founder of The Balm In Gilead, the leading non-governmental
organization dedicated exclusively to mobilizing African American churches in
the United States in the fight against HIV/AIDS, will lead a delegation to five
African countries beginning April 7 as part of its transatlantic partnership between
African and African American religious leaders to effectively address the AIDS
pandemic among Black people worldwide.
The Balm In Gilead's Africa HIV/AIDS Faith Initiative is aimed at building
the capacity of faith organizations in Cote d'Ivoire, Nigeria, Tanzania, Kenya
and Zimbabwe to become effective forces in AIDS prevention, service delivery and
dismantling the stigma of AIDS. With initial funding from the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, this mission, which includes planning, training and assessment,
advances The Balm In Gilead's five-year African HIV/AIDS Faith Initiative launched
in January with The African Diaspora Faith Leaders Historical Summit on HIV/AIDS
in Tarrytown, NY where more than 60 heads of communions from Africa, the Caribbean
and African American communities attended.
The Balm In Gilead has gained the respect and partnership endorsements of the
Catholic Conference and the Council of Churches in Cote d'Ivoire, Nigeria, Tanzania
and Zimbabwe. "As in African-American communities, the church in Africa is
one of the most important institutions in the community and it is strategically
positioned to play a major role in the fight against HIV/AIDS," said Seele.
In Africa, the Caribbean,and here in the United States, Black people have the
highest rate of HIV infection. African people, regardless of which country or
island we live in today, must take immediate action to save ourselves."
The Balm In Gilead's delegation includes Dr. Joyce Moon Howard, assistant professor
at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University. Dr. Moon Howard
is providing expertise in evaluation research to the Balm In Gilead's Africa Initiative.
"The scientific world is making great advances in AIDS research. These efforts,
however, can be greatly strengthened by developing and increasing the ties between
the scientific and faith communities to work in concert to fight HIV/AIDS,"
states Dr. Allan Rosenfield, Dean of the Mailman School of Public Health. Pastor
Gabriel Kpokame Kouagia Kaya, Secretary of the Apostles, Eglise de Pentecote du
Cote d'Ivoire appeared excited about the partnership between The Balm In Gilead
and the Cote d'Ivoire's Christian Community. "We used to think that we should
not speak of AIDS in the church. Working with The Balm In Gilead over these several
weeks has changed my mind. We are now gathering our leaders in Cote d'Ivoire,
spreading the information and taking action." In addition to heads of communion,
The Balm In Gilead has received the support of several African UN ambassadors
for its Africa HIV/AIDS Faith Initiative.
Daudi Mwakawago, permanent representative of Tanzania to the United Nations
states, "When the AIDS pandemic hit the global scene twenty years ago, African
governments were already financially exhausted due to the competitive environment
created by shrinking economies and a basic health delivery system, making the
ability to develop an effective and timely response virtually non-existent. Today,
the church is the last sign of hope for the African Diaspora." Program Objectives
The ultimate goal of the Balm In Gilead's Africa HIV/AIDS Faith Initiative is
to improve the capacity of faith communities and to engage and encourage the religious
leadership and denominational structures in the participating countries to speak
out against the stigma of AIDS Support and provide interventions that prevent
mother-to-child transmission Support and provide faith-based HIV voluntary counseling
and testing Provide long-term care and support for orphans.
The programs to be implemented by these African churches will be modeled after
some of The Balm In Gilead's successful programs such as The Black Church Week
of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS -- the largest AIDS awareness campaign targeting
African Americans. Like this and other national programs organized by The Balm
In Gilead, resources will be culturally and ethnically designed for the five African
countries and their diverse ethnic communities. About The Balm In Gilead The Balm
In Gilead is a not-for-profit, non-governmental organization with an international
mission to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS throughout the African Diaspora by building
the capacity of faith communities to provide AIDS education and support networks
for all people living with and affected by HIV. Over the past thirteen years,
The Balm In Gilead's pioneering achievements have enabled thousands of churches
to become leaders in preventing HIV by providing comprehensive educational support
to encourage those infected to seek and maintain treatment.
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