LUTHERAN WORLD INFORMATION

P. O. Box 2100, CH-1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland

Assistant Editor (English)

Tel: 41.22 791 6354

Fax: 41.22 798 8616

E-mail: pmu@lutheranworld.org

 A prayer for Willard, Joseph and Clowd

Support for AIDS/HIV orphans in Africa

 WITTENBERG, Germany/GENEVA, 27 October 1999 (lwi) - Early 1999, Rev. Gladys G. Moore, a Lutheran pastor in New Jersey, United States read what she describes as a moving feature article in her local daily, “USA Today”. The story presented with words, photographs and statistics the grim picture of the devastating effects of HIV/AIDS in Africa. Listed were a number of Southern African countries with an ever increasing number of children orphaned when their parents die from the effects of the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS).

 Zimbabwe was one of the countries mentioned, and “there was this story of Willard (14 years), Joseph (10 years) and Cloud Tennant (8), children orphaned by AIDS. The elder one was taking care of the others. “It is the kind of report that you read through tears,” Rev. Moore told this writer.

 Gladys knew she had to do something for these children. “The faces of those children stayed with me, how I prayed for them...” But why did she pick on Zimbabwe and not other countries mentioned in the report?

 Thanks to the Conference of International Black Lutherans (ICBL), Rev. Moore already had contact with the bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Zimbabwe (ELCZ) the Rt. Rev. Ambrose  Moyo.

 She would participate in the annual 440 km Boston-New York bicycle ride, then celebrating its fifth year and raise money for its Hope and Healing for Africans with Aids (HAHFAWA) association and for the AIDS orphans in Zimbabwe.

 “I requested my donors to send two checks - one to HAHFAWA and one to the AIDS orphans in Zimbabwe.” And a few days before packing her bags to travel to Augsburg for the third conference of CIBL, Moore picked a check of more than USD 10,000 as proceeds towards Zimbabwe’s AIDS orphans.

 When she presented this check to Bishop Moyo, who is also one of the international co-chairpersons of CIBL, Moore said what she did was one way of bringing attention about the AIDS orphans. It is an example that something can be done, she said and encouraged CIBL to support such initiatives so that AIDS orphans like Willard, Joseph and Clowd may get support.

Bishop Moyo expressed deep appreciation to Rev. Moore for responding to the plight of AIDS orphans. Such monies are channeled through the ELCZ parishes to their support related programs for people with and those living with AIDS/HIV.

(The LWF is a global communion of 128 member churches in 70 countries representing 58 million of the world’s 61.5 million Lutherans. Its highest decision making body is the Assembly, held every six or seven years. Between Assemblies, the LWF is governed by a 49-member Council which meets annually, and its Executive Committee.)