WORLD AIDS DAY
DECEMBER 1, 2006
Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise.
ACTION ALERT: 12/1/2006
Dear friends,
World AIDS Day is an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV and AIDS. Twenty-five years into what has become the world’s most devastating health pandemic, Lutherans around the world pause to consider the devastation our communities have endured in the face of AIDS.
Still, we know that God’s will is not suffering and death but resurrection and life. Join us as we raise our voices on this World AIDS Day with hope and renewed commitment to doing our part in keeping the promise to stop AIDS!
TALKING POINTS
Call or email your elected officials, urging them to keep their promise to stop AIDS at home and abroad. You may choose to ask all or part of the following:
- Fully Fund and expand the President’s Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR):
U.S. funding accounts for 50 percent of global funding dedicated to fighting AIDS in the world. Yet AIDS treatment and prevention remains vastly under funded worldwide. I urge full funding for life-saving U.S. bilateral AIDS programming and for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
- Ensure Flexibility for an Effective Prevention Policy:
After years of addressing AIDS in the world, it is clear that prevention policies must be flexible in order to meet the needs of local populations. I urge you to support policies that allow U.S. money dedicated to fighting AIDS to be implemented with flexibility in order to meet the needs of vulnerable and high risk populations at home and abroad.
- Reauthorize and Fully Fund the Ryan White Act:
Reauthorize the Ryan White CARE Act in 2007 and fully fund the President's FY07 budget request of $2.2 billion. This increase is essential for effective prevention, treatment and care programs in the United States.
OTHER WAYS TO TAKE ACTION
Wear a red ribbon - an international symbol of HIV/AIDS awareness. Use it to demonstrate your concern for the many people affected by this disease. Make your own, for yourself and for friends!
Tell Your Congregation About the ONE Lutheran Campaign. Lutherans in the U.S. can help by joining the ONE Lutheran campaign, a unique partnership with ONE: The Campaign to Make Poverty History. Join the 2.4 million Americans who have committed, ONE by ONE, to stop AIDS and end extreme poverty.
Support organizations that work to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS. There are many such organizations that are worthy of your support!
Educate yourself and others about the causes of HIV/AIDS and who has it. This can go a long way to fight the disease itself, as well as the prejudices and fears that surround it. Relevant websites include www.elca.org/aids, UNAIDS and World AIDS Campaign.
PRAYER REQUEST
Lord, we pray for healing and wholeness for the many people infected and affected by HIV and AIDS. Direct us to help them as we are able. Also please direct our world leaders and decision-makers, the people working for the rights of those living with HIV and AIDS, the caregivers and families of those with the virus, and the scientists searching for a cure, so that the work of all of these people would bless those who suffer from this illness. Thank you for hearing us.
THANK YOU for your time, your attention and the other gifts that you offer!
WHO IS LWR? Lutheran World Relief, an international nonprofit organization, works to end poverty and injustice by empowering some of the world's most impoverished communities to help themselves. With partners in 35 countries, LWR seeks to promote sustainable development with justice and dignity by helping communities bring about change for healthy, safe and secure lives; engage in Fair Trade; promote peace and reconciliation; and respond to emergencies. LWR is headquartered in Baltimore, Md. and has worked in international development and relief since 1945.
Lutheran World Relief is a ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS), individuals and parish groups in international relief, development, advocacy and social responsibility.
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For more information, please contact advocacy@lwr.org.
