This is my second year participating in a fundraising run for one of my alI-time favorite ministries, Loving South Africa. Here is what motivates me on our early morning training runs:
Running for a Great Cause
Team LSA participates in athletic events in order to raise awareness and funds for Loving South Africa (LSA). LSA is zooming in on the AIDS epicenter of the world and loving accurately the AIDS sufferers in Kwazulu Natal, South Africa, through strategic partnerships with 7 grass root ministries (in education/prevention, testing, treatment, evangelism, hospice and orphan care) who are impacting lives in this region.
Help Over There vs. Right Here at Home
It’s true that we have a myriad of problems right here in our own “backyard” and I know that many of us are already at work locally against poverty and social injustice. Together we can make an impact one life at a time, yet it also seems that the work here at home will never be done. I’ve made the personal decision to join others in not waiting to be “done” with my work in local outreach ministries before I also start helping in other places of great need.
Whose Backyard?
The inspiration for me is the story of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10. Jesus made a real statement and expanded the definition of neighbor when He taught us to “go and do the same” as a much-disliked Samaritan man, who went out of his way to help someone who was very much outside of his “neighborhood,” having come from a different ethnicity, religion, race and culture.
Today, I see my neighbors in South Africa being buried upright in mass graves due to the fact that AIDS death rate is so extreme. This is occurring in their own backyards and in those of surrounding African nations, and as a result the truly local backyards can’t offer the help that is so desperately needed in these areas. In response, I am committed to adopting South Africa as my backyard.
It really is difficult to overstate the suffering that AIDS has caused in South Africa.
· Nearly 50% of all deaths in South Africa, and a staggering 71% of deaths among those aged 15 to 49, are caused by AIDS.
· At the end of 2007, there were approximately 5.7 million people living with HIV in South Africa, and almost 1,000 AIDS deaths occurring every day.
· 18% of all South Africans are infected with HIV/AIDS, which is the 4th highest prevalence in the world. The other top 5 countries with the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence are all neighbors of South Africa
· 1 in 6 people in the world with HIV/AIDS are South African.
· Only 28% of people in South Africa with advanced HIV/AIDS are receiving anti-retroviral treatment.
South African children are particularly affected by HIV/AIDS:
· With many women who are HIV-positive still not receiving drugs that could prevent them passing HIV to their babies, HIV infections are alarmingly common amongst children in South Africa. According to UNAIDS, there were around 280,000 children living with HIV in South Africa.
· There were 1.4 million HIV/AIDS orphans in South Africa in 2007. By 2010 the number is estimated to increase to approximately 3 million. Once orphaned, these children are more likely to face poverty, poor health and lack of access to education.
Your Neighborhood
By supporting me in my race, you are helping to save lives along with the partners of Loving South Africa. Every bit can contribute to making a huge impact:
- $9 provides a child with anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs) for a month
- $15 enables Lily of the Valley, an LSA partner, to provide an HIV/AIDS test
- $20 enables Metro Africa to reach 20 children of the next generation through Sunday school outreach for one week
- $60 funds one Life Skills course to equip community leaders in South Africa, provided by WorldChangesAcademy, an LSA partner
- $81 funds a leadership scholarship for a high school student
- $90 allows Makaphutu Children's Village to care for an orphan for one month
- $100 treats one child with life-saving ARVs for a year
Besides your monetary support, prayers for our team and especially for those affected by this disease are just as vital toward making a difference. Thanks in advance for your support!
I truly appreciate your support and will continue to keep you posted on our team’s progress.
With love, Anne
p.s. Race Details: The race is on October 16th.