Metro Chicago

The statistics we hear on the evening news tell a grim story of HIV/AIDS toll in sub-Saharan Africa:

At the end of 2001 it was estimated that 40 million people were living with HIV, two thirds of them in Africa.
More than 21.8 million people have died of AIDS since the epidemic started, more than a quarter of them children.
Over 2.7 million children under 15 have the virus today.
There are more than 13 million children who have lost their mother of both parents to AIDS, and that number is rising fast – especially in Africa.

The face of AIDS in Africa is the face of a child: scared and yet full of hope for a better future.
World Vision has been caring for these children since before the AIDS epidemic drew national attention. Now you can join with World Vision Chicago in bringing a better future to Africa’s orphans and vulnerable children.

Living Positively with HIV

Since being diagnosed with HIV, Princess Kasune Zulu of Zambia has become an international speaker on HIV/AIDS. Click here to learn more about Princess, her work, and her message of hope.

What You Can Do
Learn More
Learn more about the face of AIDS in Africa by reading this fact sheet. For additional information on the global impact of HIV/AIDS, visit the website for the United Nation’s response to the AIDS crisis, www.unaids.com.
Pray
6,000 children are orphaned each day because of HIV/AIDS. Join with World Vision Chicago in praying for these orphans and vulnerable children. Click here to download a daily prayer calendar so you can pray with us.

Instructions: You will need Adobe Acrobat to download this file. For a free copy of this program, visit www.adobe.com.

Sponsor a Child

At six years old, Lehlohonolo is the youngest of six brothers, living together in Mapoteng, Lesotho. The brothers live alone, orphans of their country’s AIDS epidemic. With 2.3 million AIDS orphans, the number of child-headed households are rising – just one example of HIV/AIDS’ social and economic impact around the world.

Lehlohonolo, and more than 10 million children like him, need your support. As one of the first faith-based aid organizations to respond to Africa’s HIV/AIDS crisis, World Vision is committed to meeting the real needs of orphans and vulnerable children. Through World Vision’s child sponsorship program, you can touch the life of a child while fostering change in the child’s community.

Tell others
AIDS orphans and vulnerable children need the support of caring individuals. You can help provide this support by telling others about the impact of HIV/AIDS in Africa. See below for suggestions on how you can tell others about HIV/AIDS.

Make sure your family and friends know the truth about HIV/AIDS, including how the disease is and is not spread.

Share information about the global AIDS crisis. For resources, read this fact sheet. Download the file and send it as an email to your friends. For additional information, visit www.unaids.org.

Print the prayer calendar on this website and ask people from your church to pray with you. Or keep a calendar at your table, and pray as a family before each meal.

Consider making a small presentation at your church, Bible study, or community group. For resources, use the fact sheet (see above), or email Chicago@worldvision.org.

Watch local newspapers for articles on HIV/AIDS, and write letters to the editor expressing your support for international aid efforts.