Of the 40 million infected with HIV/AIDS in 2003, approximately 26.6 million lived in sub-Saharan Africa. The number of new HIV infections matched the number of people who were killed by AIDS in this region.

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That same year, Food for the Hungry (FH) brought 15 U.S.-based Christian groups together to fight the disease globally. The U.S. government awarded them $40 million to conduct HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, and orphan care programs in eight countries.

Meanwhile, then-President George W. Bush signed into law the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). This bill designated $15 billion toward reversing the downward spiral of HIV/AIDS globally.

FH President Dave Evans calls this “the most important single piece of foreign assistance ever focused on one area of need.”

Ten years down the road, PEPFAR and FH efforts are yielding a harvest.

At a recent PEPFAR tenth anniversary celebration, Secretary of State John Kerry announced that the one-millionth at-risk baby will be born HIV-free this month.

The U.S. Department of State says new HIV infections have declined nearly 19% globally over the past decade, and AIDS-related mortality has decreased by 26% since peaking in 2005. In sub-Saharan Africa, new infections decreased 33% since 2003, and AIDS-related mortality has dropped 32%.

FH responds to the HIV/AIDS pandemic by providing physical, spiritual, and social support. Their work includes abstinence and prevention education, caring for orphans and vulnerable children, counseling and care for those too sick to leave their homes, and facilitating support groups for women with AIDS.

Since 2003, “We reached over two million youth and married couples with a message of prevention based on abstinence and faithfulness,” Evans said in a recent blog.

“In addition, we were able to positively impact the lives of thousands of [AIDS] orphans, as well as treat AIDS victims with anti-retroviral medicine.”

Get involved in the fight against HIV/AIDS through FH. Pray that FH programs will keep shining the hope of Christ to those at-risk.

Read more about the involvement of Food for the Hungry in the HIV/AIDS battle here and here.

Of the 40 million infected with HIV/AIDS in 2003, approximately 26.6 million lived in sub-Saharan Africa. The number of new HIV infections matched the number of people who were killed by AIDS in this region.

That same year, Food for the Hungry (FH) brought 15 U.S.-based Christian groups together to fight the disease globally. The U.S. government awarded them $40 million to conduct HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, and orphan care programs in eight countries.

Meanwhile, then-President George W. Bush signed into law the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). This bill designated $15 billion toward reversing the downward spiral of HIV/AIDS globally.

FH President Dave Evans calls this "the most important single piece of foreign assistance ever focused on one area of need."

Ten years down the road, PEPFAR and FH efforts are yielding a harvest.

At a recent PEPFAR tenth anniversary celebration, Secretary of State John Kerry announced that the one-millionth at-risk baby will be born HIV-free this month.

The U.S. Department of State says new HIV infections have declined nearly 19% globally over the past decade, and AIDS-related mortality has decreased by 26% since peaking in 2005. In sub-Saharan Africa, new infections decreased 33% since 2003, and AIDS-related mortality has dropped 32%.

FH responds to the HIV/AIDS pandemic by providing physical, spiritual, and social support. Their work includes abstinence and prevention education, caring for orphans and vulnerable children, counseling and care for those too sick to leave their homes, and facilitating support groups for women with AIDS.

Since 2003, "We reached over two million youth and married couples with a message of prevention based on abstinence and faithfulness," Evans said in a recent blog.

"In addition, we were able to positively impact the lives of thousands of [AIDS] orphans, as well as treat AIDS victims with anti-retroviral medicine."

Get involved in the fight against HIV/AIDS through FH. Pray that FH programs will keep shining the hope of Christ to those at-risk.

Read more about the involvement of Food for the Hungry in the HIV/AIDS battle here and here.

The number of signatures continues to grow, and now the U.S. Congress is starting to take notice. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is urging more than 80 Senators and Representatives to "exhaust every possible option" when it comes to the release of American Pastor Saeed Abedini.

Abedini was sentenced to eight years in prison for establishing a network of Christian house churches years ago and for "attempting to sway Iranian youth away from Islam." People all over are coming together to see to it that Abedini is released from a prison where he is undergoing physical and mental torture.

"This is a significant bi-partisan effort to secure the freedom of a U.S. citizen who faces incredible torture and life-threatening punishment in one of Iran's most brutal prisons–simply because of his Christian beliefs," said Jordan Sekulow, executive director of the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), in a statement on Thursday.

Sekulow was noted as saying, "The U.S. government must protect its citizens and exercise every diplomatic tool available to secure the freedom of Pastor Saeed. We are very grateful for this Congressional support and urge Secretary Kerry to act without delay. Pastor Saeed's life hangs in the balance. Secretary Kerry's personal involvement in this case is critical to securing the freedom of this American."

Iran is listed at #8 on the Open Doors World Watch List of countries noted for the most
severe persecution of Christians. Abedini
is just one of the many Christians facing persecution daily. His story is not the first time that
international pressure to release someone has worked. 

Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani was released for a second
time earlier this year after being sentenced to execution for converting to Christianity. His freedom was due to international
pressure. 

Pray that more congressmen will become involved in
Abedini's case. Ask God to give him the strength
to continue to endure this trial. Pray
that Christians being persecuted in Iran will continue to be strong in their faith
even as Abedini is facing hardship.

You can still sign the campaign for Pastor Saeed's
release through SaveSaeed.org. Just as
in Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani's case, your voice does make a difference.