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Grace and Light International
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You can help directly by sending a donation to AMEN, 79 North Road, Dartford, DA1 3ND. (Cheques payable to AMEN) or you can give online by going to the bottom of this page
Fighting AIDS in Africa with Grace and LightThe scourge of HIV/AIDS continues to ravage Africa. Some 24 million people across the continent are living with HIV/AIDS* This compares with some 73,000 in the UK** Christians are by no means immune from HIV. There is even a grouping of church leaders in Africa, who themselves live with the disease. One Christian organisation with a novel approach which is making inroads into Africa’s AIDS pandemic is Grace and Light. Founded in 2003 by a British couple, the charity is now run entirely by Africans and based in Nigeria. THE
STIGMA …THE SOLUTION
Stigma has always been a huge issue with HIV. All over the world, to have HIV/AIDS is to invite judgement and criticism. So people keep their HIV status a secret, and live in silent submission to this devastating illness. The approach at Grace and Light is to be completely open about your HIV status. Workers gain the agreement of a church to bring Biblical teaching about their work, then all who agree are offered an AIDS test. They can then choose for the result to be made known in the church, and a system of support and accountability put in place. Necessary drugs are also provided to those in need of them. Tassie
Ghata runs the Grace and Light Project.
She says “The
best part of our work is sitting down with people every Sunday in
counselling, to share their lives and see them turn around with
excitement for God, as a result of a test carried out, or because one
has shared the true meaning of life in Christ.” TRANSFORMING
WHOLE COMMUNITIES Grace and Light is supported in the UK by the charity AMEN, founded by Gareth Bolton. Gareth says, “I am impressed by the dedication and effectiveness of Tassie and her team. Their work is having a major impact on many thousands of lives. It transforms not just individual lives, but whole communities as well.!”
George Verwer - founder of OM says, "This is a unique, church-based, cutting edge, HIV/AIDS ministry; with its emphasis on personal revival, Biblical reality and accountability, it deserves maximum support. I wholeheartedly commend it to you" £1
CAN DRAMATICALLY CHANGE A LIFE AMEN felt that God was calling them to raise at least £16,000 by the end of June 2008, to change people’s lives in Nigeria and beyond. And God has honoured that.
Grace and Light is a unique, African solution to a devastating problem in Africa. The Christian, holistic nature of the work has already helped thousands. Because of its Christian ethos, Grace and Light receives no state funding for its work. Please support Tassie and her colleagues as they help tackle AIDS in Africa. AIDS testing kits cost £1 each.
Patrick Woodward Sources
*BBC **www.avert.org
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