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World Vision Seeks Recruits in the War on AIDS
Hope Tour Stop in Capital Raises Awareness of Fight Against AIDS Worldwide

By Michael Camp, Senior Writer

WASHINGTON, DC, June 12, 2003 – With the Vietnam War memorial a few miles behind him, Rich Stearns brought home the shocking reality of the global AIDS pandemic to an audience of 120 donors and friends of World Vision. “Each week we have a Vietnam because of AIDS,” he reported, referring to the estimated 56,000 people who die from AIDS worldwide every seven days. “Twenty-two million people have died already and today, 70 percent of cases are in Africa.”

Stearns, president of World Vision, spoke during the seventh stop on a 15-city tour to highlight World Vision’s Hope Initiative—a new push to combat AIDS that is integrated with existing World Vision relief and development programs.

Before Stearns took the podium, the invitees silently watched a gripping video, “The Hidden Faces of AIDS,” which portrays the tragic loss of life and hope caused by AIDS in places like Malawi, where funerals for AIDS-related deaths are far too common. While watching an intense scene of grieving women, viewers learned how AIDS has orphaned 13 million children in Africa alone. Tragically, the appearance of child-headed households and homes with as many as a dozen or more kids cared for by an ailing grandmother are escalating.

The audience was no stranger to such crises. Most were supporters of World Vision whom Stearns thanked for their generous giving, which in 2002 helped World Vision to serve 2.5 million sponsored children, provide clean water for 750,000 rural villagers, and immunize 500,000 people, among other interventions.

Yet a new proactive force is necessary to turn the tide against HIV/AIDS in this generation. World Vision is a key leader among evangelicals in this battle as it develops its three-prong strategy of prevention, care, and advocacy.

Prevention measures include teaching abstinence to youth, fidelity in marriage, and crushing the stigma that typically accompanies the disease. Care includes answering the biblical calls to heal the afflicted and assist orphans and widows in their distress through community-based networks of village or church caregivers trained and provided resources by World Vision. Advocacy involves lobbying Congress for appropriation of funds for the newly passed AIDS bill, which 150 evangelical leaders did just the day before.

“Jesus was willing to touch a leper to heal him. Are you willing to touch the lepers of our day?” Stearns challenged. It wasn’t hard to recruit warriors in this fight against AIDS, as many attendees eagerly filled out response cards to indicate how they believe they could join this force.

David Swoap, a donor of 25 years, was elated that World Vision is taking a leadership role in this fight. “They are unashamedly speaking out on a global issue that many find difficult to address.”

Jeff Grismore, who heads a small agency dedicated to caring for orphans and widows, saw the potential for his organization to effectively collaborate with World Vision. He believes a unified effort will be more effective than single agencies or groups trying to tackle perhaps the largest humanitarian crisis in history.

Dianne Langberg, a Christian psychologist, was concerned about how to care for victims of sexual abuse—not uncommon among AIDS victims—and how to encourage the caregivers of orphans who need resources and strength to avoid burnout. “There are partnership opportunities with Christian counselors who could help agencies such as World Vision address this,” said Langberg, who represents the American Association of Christian Counselors.

In summation, Stearns said, “Historians will ask years from now, ‘What was the world doing when millions were dying from AIDS?’ Our grandchildren will ask us, ‘What were you doing?’”
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