Samaritan's Purse Seeks a "Prescription for Hope" Among Christian HIV/AIDS Workers in Africa

Samaritan's Purse
Friday, 14 February 2003

One hundred and fifty leading Christian HIV/AIDS workers from 10 countries across Africa met this week in Kampala, Uganda to strengthen the Christian response to the HIV/AIDS.

Prescription For Hope, a conference hosted by international Christian relief organization Samaritan's Purse, was an unprecedented opportunity for front-line HIV/AIDS caregivers, pastors, and health professionals to meet one another and share their successes and strategies.

The conference was held to strengthen the international Christian response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic, better mobilize private, church, corporate, and government resources, and develop a unified plan to defeat the deadly disease through Christ-like compassion, action, and hope.

Uganda has gained international recognition for being one of the few African countries to record a decrease in HIV/AIDS infections, dropping from 30% to 6% in many cases. Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan's Purse, highlighted Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni's efforts in developing a proactive and highly successful HIV/AIDS awareness campaign based on sexual purity, moral responsibility, and Biblical principals.

"The shining example of Uganda is a tribute to church leadership and influence that has not only transformed thousands of lives but has gained the attention of the world," Graham wrote to Prescription For Hope delegates.

Ugandan First Lady, Mrs. Janet Museveni, addressed the conference and challenged the audience to resist complacency and indifference in the fight against HIV/AIDS in their countries.

"We may look at our present efforts exclusively in terms of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, but God is doing a more permanent and lasting work in us as the Church. He is preparing us and building in us a culture of caring and oneness, which will stand us in good stead in the hard times ahead for the whole world. The Church must not be caught sleeping. Indifference would be unforgivable at such a time as this; for this is the time we must stand and be counted regarding what we believe and what we are willing to do for what we believe."

Mrs. Museveni was also a keynote speaker at the inaugural Prescription For Hope conference held last February in Washington, DC.

Samaritan's Purse is an international Christian relief organization providing aid, food, medicine, and supplies to more than 100 countries affected by disease, famine, poverty, and other crises.

For more information, or to contact Samaritan's Purse, see their website at: www.samaritanspurse.org