World AIDS Day

Saturday, Dec. 1, is World AIDS Day. It's a time for us to stop for a minute and consider those affected by HIV/AIDS worldwide.

The statistics are startling.
• 33 million people are living with HIV
• 2.5 million of those living with HIV are children under the age of 15
• 22.5 million of those living with HIV are located in sub-Saharan Africa - that is more than two-thirds of all those living with HIV!


But, statistics easily overwhelm us. They don't seem real.

Yet, each number isn't just a number - it's a face, a personality, a life... just as real as me and just as real as you. 33 million real people who are suffering.

CFCA (sponsor of Walk with the Poor) works with people affected by AIDS in developing countries where we work.

Jose's* story
We work with Jose (not his real name),* a 14-year-old boy in Colombia who, along with his father and sister, is HIV-positive. AIDS is very misunderstood in his culture, so his illness is not disclosed to his community, for fear that his family would be viewed differently. Instead, Jose concentrates on his schooling, where he is studying engineering and teaching his father to read. Even though his life is hard, Jose hasn't given up - he has dreams and goals, just like we do. And sponsorship is helping him pursue those dreams, despite his illness.

Today, let's pray for those around the world affected by HIV/AIDS. Pray with compassion and conviction. They need our support.

You can pray for:

• Strength, peace and hope for those living with AIDS and those affected by the disease.
• Physical provision - adequate nutrition and medical care, both for those struggling with HIV/AIDS and the children orphaned by AIDS.
• Emotional support and friendship - because of lack of information, many cultures don't understand AIDS and therefore don't associate with those who have HIV/AIDS. Pray those affected would find friendship and support.

Learn more
Sponsorship eases burden of HIV/AIDS

Read more about students living in AIDS-affected areas who are waiting to be sponsored. Follow this link, scroll down and click on a name to read more about each student's life.

Want to do more? Join our prayer partner team.

*Name changed to protect his identity and respect his privacy.

Source: UNAIDS

READ MORE...

Congratulations, walkers! You walked 2,234 minutes!

Congratulations to everyone who walked on treadmills at NCYC! In total, NCYC attendees walked for 2,234 minutes at the three-day conference! That will pay for more than seven students’ scholarships for one year! On behalf of those students, we extend our sincere thanks. They now have the security of being able to go to school and the opportunity to live a better life.

Let’s keep the momentum going… there are more students living in extreme poverty who need your help!

Browse through the it’s easy to help section, choose a way to do something about poverty, and let us know if you have questions or other ideas! We want to hear from you.

We’ll post some video from NCYC here. Check out our Facebook group for more video and pictures, and tag yourself!

Also, let us know why you walked with the poor… post a comment on this blog!

For those of you who weren’t at the National Catholic Youth Conference, held Nov. 8-11 in Columbus, Ohio, we hosted an interactive exhibit that included live webcasts with youth in developing countries, a replica of a home in a developing country, and treadmills youth could walk on to literally walk with the poor, with every minute walked resulting in $1 donated to the scholarship program.
READ MORE...

Antony's dreams & realities

Watch Antony tell a little about his life in Africa.

Antony's words....

"When I finished my grade school in Nov. 2005, I had no hope of joining high school having been born in a family of three children and an orphaned cousin all being taken care of by our single mother. I had very little hope of joining high school even though when the results were out I was on the top-10 list of the best students. I had little to celebrate. When I got a chance again to visit the CFCA office to write for my siblings, I applied for a chance for the scholarship and my greatest joy was when I was informed that I had got a chance. I was so happy and for once in my life, I saw I had an opportunity to dream. I want to thank our dear sponsors for making it possible for us to go on with our education without any interruptions; a privilege that is only for the rich in our country and I want to give you my word that we will utilize these chances by doing our level best academically to uplift our living and that of our community at large."

- Antony, a sponsored student in Kenya

READ MORE...

Sisters, Allison and Karen

Allison and Karen are high schoolers and have been sponsoring children through the Christian Foundation for Children and Aging for 7 years. It is a part of their lives and they tell us how it has affected who they are and their outlook on life.

READ MORE...

High school is not a given for all

Going to high school is still uncommon in a lot communities around the world. Jose lives in a small community of about 100 people outside of the city of Santa Barbara in Honduras. Basically everyone in Jose’s community works as farmers - hardly anyone had the opportunity to go to high school. One reason for not going to high school is that the families need their teenagers to help work in the fields so that the family can eat.

Jose is one of the first to give high school a try. He receives financial assistance from CFCA to attend an alternative high school with classes on the weekends. Jose works in the fields with his family during the week and goes into town for the weekend to go to school. It’s a pretty demanding load, but Jose believes the hard work will pay off if he can finish high school. His example is inspiring younger kids in the community to believe that high school is possible for them, too.

- Dan Pearson, CFCA International Project Coordinator
READ MORE...