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World Vision and AIDS 2002 World Conference - Barcelona, July 7-12, 2002
July 1, 2002
Leading Christian Humanitarian Aid organization Mobilizes Church, Christian Community, In Fight Against HIV/AIDS Pandemic
The international humanitarian organization World Vision, which has been tackling the AIDS issue on the ground since 1990, will have 11 representatives at Barcelona, including two who themselves are HIV-positive. Several World Vision staff will be presenters.
Questions and issues World Vision participants at Barcelona HIV/AIDS conference can address:
- The Bush Administration has proposed $500 million to help stop maternal transmission of AIDS. This could save many of the nearly 2,000 babies who are infected by HIV each day by their mothers. However, what is being done to prolong the lives of mothers so they can care for their children, and what can be done to care for the 40 million children expected to be orphaned by AIDS by the year 2010 in Africa alone?
- What is the relationship between HIV/AIDS, poverty and the status of women in Africa? Is it possible to break this cycle?
- The African church is on the front lines of the AIDS epidemic, providing care for the sick and their survivors. How good a job are they doing? What does the church have to offer in terms of AIDS prevention? Is the U.S. church supporting its African brothers and sisters?
- How has HIV/AIDS affected “routine” relief and development work in poor countries? What are the economic implications of HIV/AIDS pandemic in Africa and Asia?
World Vision staff participating in 2002 AIDS World Conference include:
Christo Greyling: Christo Greyling is World Vision’s HIV/AIDS Coordinator for South Africa and Lesotho. A hemophiliac, Greyling tested positive for HIV while attending theological seminary in 1987. He publicly disclosed his HIV status in 1992, while serving as a minister in the Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa. Greyling will present a poster at the July 7-12 World AIDS Conference in Barcelona on “Mobilizing local congregations towards prevention and care.”
Rev. Canon Gideon Byamugisha: Rev. Byamugisha serves as World Vision’s church and faith-based organizations specialist for the organization’s Hope Initiative “Models of Learning” program, which researches and develops prototype HIV/AIDS prevention, care and advocacy programs. Rev. Byamugisha is the first African priest to openly disclose his HIV-positive status. As both a clergyman and one who lives with AIDS, Rev. Byamugisha can speak candidly and honestly about AIDS to the church, which has been reluctant to engage in helping those affected and infected by the disease.
Ethel Kaypepye: Ethel Kaypepye is World Vision’s HIV/AIDS Coordinator in Malawi, managing programs for children affected by HIV/AIDS, and networking with partners through the government or other relief and development agencies. Kaypepye is a registered nurse and midwife. She has served as a program manager for the United Nations called “United Nations Volunteers Support to People Living with HIV/AIDS” in Malawi and Zambia.
Ken Casey, Special Representative to the President for the HIV/AIDS Hope Initiative:
Ken Casey is World Vision International’s Special Representative to the President for the HIV/AIDS Hope Initiative. In this role, Casey works with offices around the world to create strategies aimed at reducing the global impact of HIV/AIDS through prevention, care and advocacy efforts.
Mark Lorey, Director, Models of Learning: Mark Lorey is director of World Vision’s Models of Learning HIV/AIDS education project., developing prototype HIV/AIDS prevention, care and advocacy programs. He is based in Zambia. Lorey has worked extensively with governments and private organizations to develop strategies for relief and development work, especially with children affected by HIV/AIDS. He recently co-authored the Handbook for Programs to Assist Children Affected by HIV/AIDS for the U.S. Agency for International Development.
Milton Amayun, Senior HIV/AIDS Program Representative: Dr. Milton Amayun is World Vision International’s Senior HIV/AIDS Program Representative and Advisor. In an international medical career that has spanned more than two decades, Amayun has designed, implemented and supervised health programs in Thailand, Somalia, Cambodia, Ethiopia, West Africa and the Balkans. Amayun holds a Master of Public Health from Harvard University, a bachelor’s degree in Zoology and a doctor of medicine degree from the University of the Philippines.
Nigel Marsh: Nigel Marsh is World Vision’s Regional Communication Manager for East Africa. Marsh travels widely throughout Africa, reporting on World Vision’s work – much of which deals with HIV/AIDS.. Marsh served as a journalist and editor for various newspapers in the United Kingdom. He also volunteered with Youth with a Mission in Uganda, establishing ‘zero-budget’ responses to HIV/AIDS in local churches. Marsh will provide communication support to World Vision’s media team during the July 7-12 World AIDS Conference in Barcelona.
Media Contacts:
Brian Peterson: 407-445-6484, cell: 407-491-2399
Gardi Wilks: 708-366-8389, email: giwilks@aol.com
Sheryl Watkins: 253-815-2246, pager: 888-787-3056
email: mediainfo@worldvision.org
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