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April 2009 Greetings AIDS Ambassadors! First, let me WELCOME new members of the network! Your participation is so critical given the scope and seriousness of this pandemic. I have gathered here some items related to the AIDS issue, both domestically and globally, that should be useful to you in your vital ministry. The United Methodist Church Global AIDS Fund!The UMC Global AIDS Fund and the committee guiding it need your support. The Fund, in existence since 2004 to mobilize support from around the connection, needs you, your local churches and annual conferences to continue promoting its good work. The almost $3 million raised so far is supporting more than 120 AIDS-related projects that provide education and advocacy, care for orphaned children, and care for those living with HIV/AIDS. In addition, annual conferences have also initiated programs in the United States because 25% of any contributions made through a local church remain in the conference. Dr. Don Messer, chair of the UMC Global AIDS Fund Committee, says he has a heavy heart. "There are 33 million people living with HIV/AIDS in the world, and 2.5 million new people are infected each year," he says. There is still much more to do as we continue our work towards an AIDS-free world, remembering the words of Jesus to heal “every disease and every sickness.” (Matthew 9:35) Please encourage people to contribute through their local church. The Fund is Advance Special #982345. Remember, 100% of your gift goes directly to projects! For information about the Fund and how to contribute, go to: UMC Global AIDS Fund. What is the Role of an AIDS Ambassador?The UMC Global AIDS Fund Committee considers each of you on this AIDS Network an "Ambassador for AIDS." The world needs each of us to be involved. To read about your crucial role, click on AIDS Ambassador. If you have any questions or suggestions for the Committee, please go to the Fund's website, UMC Global AIDS Fund, and submit your comments. We’d love to hear from you! Act Against AIDS – A New Domestic Strategy
The campaign will feature public service announcements and online communications. There also will be targeted messages and outreach to populations most severely affected. A budget of $45 million over the next five years will support this effort. Eighteen national organizations have been named as partners, each one receiving funding to carry out this initiative. For more information, click on Act Against AIDS Campaign. The first phase of the campaign is a media blitz called "9½ minutes.” Every 9½ minutes someone in the United States is infected with HIV. The campaign will consist of video, audio, print and online materials about HIV/AIDS. To access information, go to 9½ minutes. Take time to visit these websites. They have many downloadable resources to help you. The Silent Partner: HIV in Marriage”Population Action International (PAI) has developed a downloadable tool kit about HIV and the challenges associated with this disease. Resources for education and advocacy are included along with discussion questions to use in small groups. A 12-minute film narrates the story of Kenyan women who bravely share their life experiences and how they became a casualty of the AIDS pandemic. Marriage for so many women around the globe is a pathway to being infected with AIDS. For many women marriage results in a death sentence. To download this resource, go to Silent Partner Film. To learn more about PAI's work on AIDS, go to Population Action International. Action Needed to Support AIDS Funding!Contact your U.S. Senators and Representatives and ask them to support full funding for global AIDS during this upcoming appropriations process. The General Board of Church & Society, in collaboration with other faith-based and secular AIDS organizations, is supporting the following appropriation amounts for FY 2010: $9 billion for global AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, and $2.7 billion for the multi-lateral "Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria." To contact your members of Congress, call the Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121. AIDS Rate in U.S. Capital Alarming!In March, the 2008 AIDS statistics for Washington, D.C., were released, and people in the U.S. capital were not happy. At least 3% of district residents have the HIV virus. And that’s just a guess due to people not being tested universally. That percentage translates to 2,984 residents per every 100,000 over the age of 12, or 15,120 have the virus. “Our rates are higher than West Africa,” said Shannon Hader, director of the district’s HIV/AIDS Administration. “We have a mode of transmission” — men having sex with men, heterosexual and injected drug use — “going up, all on the rise, and we have to deal with them,” Hader said (Source: Washington Post). Black women represent more than a quarter of HIV cases in the district. Most of those, about 58%, were infected through heterosexual sex; about a quarter of black women were infected through drug use. To read the full report, go to AIDS Statistics. UNAIDS Report on the Global AIDS EpidemicTo download the 2008 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic, go to www.unaids.org. Dates to Note
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Wednesday, October 21, 2009
October 2009
The Obama administration announced a new campaign to refocus national attention on the HIV crisis in the United States. The Act Against AIDS Campaign is a partnership between the White House, U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC). This five-year strategy will initially focus in primarily African-American communities where infections are on the rise. 
A Closing Prayer
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