Catholic Organizations Join Forces in Fight Against AIDS on World AIDS Day

Catholic Relief Services
Monday, 1 December 2003

On this annual World AIDS Day, Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is working hand in hand with Catholic organizations around the world to fight the battle against HIV/AIDS. Along with its Caritas and diocesan partners in Africa, Asia and Latin America and with Catholic organizations here in the United States, CRS is at the forefront of the world's humanitarian response, making the provision of care to AIDS-affected persons an immediate agency priority.

The agency announced today the receipt of two grants from the Raskob Foundation for Catholic Activities in support of two AIDS-related projects in Africa. The grants will enhance CRS' HIV/AIDS programming Cameroon and Benin, and help meet the needs of AIDS orphans and vulnerable children in those two countries.

In Cameroon, the Raskob Foundation will provide $129,721 to improve the health and well-being of AIDS orphans in the Kumbo Diocese, by providing grief counseling, home visits, health care, and education and vocational training.

In Benin, the Raskob Foundation will provide $315,543 to augment existing educational and vocational training to AIDS orphans, improve the income generating capacity of those who care for AIDS orphans, and work with members of the community and the government to protect the rights of AIDS orphans and vulnerable children.

"The Raskob Foundation has been a loyal and informed supporter of the work of Catholic Relief Services since 1981," says Jennifer Oldham, CRS Director of Foundation and Corporate Relations. "We are grateful for their personal and financial investment in the fight against HIV/AIDS in Africa."

The Raskob Foundation for Catholic Activities, based in Wilmington, Del., has been educating and informing its family members about the plight of orphans and other vulnerable children affected by the AIDS pandemic in sub-Saharan Africa for the last several years. As part of that process, the Foundation established an AIDS Committee which authorized grants to four organizations, including CRS, for up to $1.3 million over the next five years.

"The Foundation is privileged to be able to contribute its human and financial resources toward such a worthwhile and much-needed cause," said Lucia Robinson, Chairperson of the Raskob Foundation's AIDS Committee.

Catholic Relief Services is marking its 60th year as the official international humanitarian agency of the U.S. Catholic community. The agency provides assistance to people in more than 90 countries and territories on the basis of need, not race, creed or nationality.

For more information, or to contact Catholic Relief Services, see their website at: www.catholicrelief.org