Hi all! We are back home from our whirlwind southern Ontario tour. We had a great few days, and sang and told stories to more than 600 people! We keep receiving such warm welcomes and affirmations. It is very humbling.
World AIDS Day is in two days...December 1st. We started this work 8 years ago, and perhaps we were naiive, but I honestly don't think that Darryl and I thought that we would still be singing and raising awareness, and money through cd sales 8 years later. But AIDS has not gone away. Sadly, tragically, it has only become more urgent. 33 million people living with the virus. 16 million orphans from AIDS. Statistics say that very time one person receives potentially life saving antiretroviral therapy, another two people are infected with HIV. And resources are drying up. Governments, organizations and individual donors are losing interest and moving onto other issues. People are suffering... specifically grandmothers, mothers, wives, young women, children...the most vulnerable. They are the ones who are feeling the weight of the crisis.
With the cd project, we are close to having raised $700,000 for MCC's work with AIDS just through cd sales. It is so exciting! But there is no room for us to stop. The work has to continue. MCC has felt the impact of the economic recession, as have so many others, and as a result, program budgets are being cut. Partners that we have supported for years are now receiving tens of thousands of dollars less. This cannot be acceptable. We have to keep reminding people how important this work is. AIDS, food and water security, peace work...it is all connected.
No comments:
Post a Comment