AIDS

By James Addis, Senior Editor for World Vision Magazine

Couldn't come to Urbana? We're bringing it to you! Here's a virtual tour of the brand-new ACT:S Experience, which illustrates the idea of our ACT:S network and the power of creative activism. If you want to activate your campus, become an ACT:S Mobilizer. 

By Rachel Jimenez, National Leader's Board, Arizona State University

Margaret Park, a graduate student at Harvard University, has been involved with World Vision for years. This month she decided to raise awareness on her campus. On World AIDS Day, Margaret and others brought the issue of AIDS to life through posters and a mini film festival hosted in a busy area of campus.

For the past 7 years ─ in partnership with you ─ we've worked tirelessly to promote legislation that increases the U.S. contribution the global AIDS fight.

Now, funding is at risk, which is why we ask you to join us and use your voice to support critical HIV and AIDS programs this World AIDS Day, Dec. 1.

This year we are drawing special attention to the prevention of mother-to-child transmission. Every 90 seconds, a new child is infected with HIV, and most of these children are infected during birth, delivery, and breastfeeding. Your involvement, however, can help to fight mother-to-child transmission. ACT NOW: Speak out for mothers and children this World AIDS Day

ACT NOW: Speak out for mothers and children in honor of World AIDS Day.

Did you know one phone call to your elected leader is worth hundreds of petition signatures? Just five or ten phone calls is worth thousands! Imagine if you and your campus community joined with hundreds of other campuses around the country to call their elected leaders, telling them that we need them to continue to care about AIDS—especially the effects of AIDS on mothers and children. 

Nervous? Watch this video by James Pedrick showing just how easy it is.

By Collins Kaumba, World Vision Zambia, and Rachael Boyer, World Vision U.S.

Written by Vichheka Sok, World Vision

Eighteen year-old Sopheara Kim is the eldest of three siblings. She was born in a good family and loves to learn about many things and issues, among them HIV and AIDS.

This World AIDS Day (December 1st) advocate for mothers and children and get everyone on your campus to do the same!

Thousands of children are infected with HIV each year, through no fault of their own. Nearly 370,000 children were newly infected with HIV in 2007, a majority of these through mother-to-child transmission.

Written by James Pedrick, World Vision's Senior Advocacy Associate and co-founder of Acting on AIDS

I get moved by stats more than individual stories. I'm kind of weird that way - I care about the big picture and the collection of little stories that come together to tell a bigger story. Two stats opened my eyes and put my faith into action. The first, that one in 20 children in sub-Saharan Africa were orphaned because of AIDS! The second, that only 3% of evangelical Christians in America actually cared and that 52% said they weren't willing to do anything about it. World Vision president Rich Stearns sums this up as "the hole in our gospel." This certainly revealed the hole in my gospel.

We recently sat down with Steve Haas, Vice President with World Vision and asked him 3 questions about his heart to see the end of the global AIDS pandemic.  

Here is how you can get involved:

1. Host a "Lives are on the Line": Through “Lives are on the Line,” we use stories of children from countries most affect by AIDS to create awareness, pray, and take action to help those who are most vulnerable to the global AIDS pandemic.

2. ACT NOW: Speak out for moms and kids in honor of World AIDS Day.

3. Pray for AIDS-affected mothers and children: Pray that HIV-positive mothers would have the resources available to them to prevent their children from acquiring HIV. Pray that wealthy countries like the United States would continue to contribute generously to the AIDS fight.