wfn.org | A prayer for Willard, Joseph and Clowd

[FRANK_IMHOFF.parti@ecunet.org (FRANK IMHOFF)]

Support for AIDS/HIV orphans in Africa

WITTENBERG, Germany/GENEVA, 27 October 1999 (lwi) - Early in 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.)

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Lutheran World Information
Assistant Editor, English: Pauline Mumia
E-mail: pmu@lutheranworld.org
http://www.lutheranworld.org/