November 29, 2004
Americans’ Interest in AIDS:
‘The needle has moved, but there’s still a long way to go’
Experts available for comment on World AIDS Day, December 1
· Two years ago, U2 Rock Star Bono challenged Christians to respond to the AIDS crisis. Are they any more likely to care today?
· The United Nations announced this week that nearly half of all adults with HIV/AIDS are women. Why?
· President Bush has promised $15 billion over five years to fight AIDS. Is the U.S. doing enough? Are other countries?
SEATTLE -- Two years after U2’s Bono challenged American Christians to become engaged in the AIDS pandemic, a new survey reveals a small, but significant increase among evangelicals willing to donate money to help and support children orphaned by AIDS. "The needle has moved," said Richard E. Stearns, president of the Christian relief and development organization World Vision. "But there’s still a long way to go."
Moreover, the United Nations’ annual report on AIDS, issued November 23, finds that nearly half of the 37.2 million people around the world infected with the AIDS virus are female. In sub-Saharan Africa, it is 60 percent.
President Bush announced in January 2003 a five-year, $15 billion plan for AIDS relief. On Monday, Congress passed nearly $2.9 billion in AIDS funding -- more than last year’s $2.4 billion, but still short of the promised $3 billion a year.
WHAT: | Comments on the AIDS crisis on World AIDS Day by World Vision experts |
WHEN: | Wednesday, December 1 |
WHO: | Richard E. Stearns is President of World Vision (Available from 6-9 a.m. EST only). |
| Steve Haas is vice president for Church Relations for World Vision. |
| Ethel Kaypepye is HIV/AIDS Coordinator for World Vision in Malawi. |
END
CONTACT: | Dean Owen | (253) 815-2246 (office) | (888) 734-8938 (pager) |
| Brian Peterson | (407) 445-6484 (office) | (407) 491-2399 (cell) |
| Sheryl Watkins | (253) 815-2246 (office) | (888) 787-3056 (pager) |
World Vision is a Christian relief and development organization dedicated to helping children and their communities worldwide reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty. World Vision serves the world’s poor - regardless of a person’s religion, race, ethnicity, or gender.
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