Join The National Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS and Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

 

Join me along with The Balm In Gilead Ministries, religious leaders, and others across the nation for the 31st Annual National Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS (NWPHA) happening March 1 – 8, 2020. The purpose of the NWPHA is to bring continued national attention to the AIDS epidemic in the United States.

 

 

From Monday, March 2 to Friday, March 6, miniters, community leaders, and health advocates will gather via conference call each day at 12 noon ET (11am CT). To join the prayer call, dial: (425)436-6357 and use access code: 860576 (followed by #). Everyone is invited to join the call.

 

 

By encouraging women and men of faith to be more proactive in HIV prevention, education, service and advocacy in their communities, the NWPHA hopes to dismantle HIV stigma; increase the model of unconditional love and compassion to all persons living with and affected by HIV; disseminate factual HIV education; and engage communities in HIV testing and treatment services nationwide.

 

 

Also, March 10th is National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. Most people do not view HIV as a woman’s health issue, but it is. In fact, about 1 in 4 people with HIV are women.

 

 

HIV may cause some health problems that are unique to women, such as:

 

• Gynecological health issues
• Increased risk of cervical cancer
• Increased risk of heart disease
• HIV medicine side effects and drug interactions
• Aging-related issues

 

 

However, there is good news. In just three decades, HIV has gone from an untreatable virus to one that is manageable with the right treatment regimen. Careful management with a health care provider can assist people living with HIV navigate any challenges and concerns to help them reduce their viral load, protect their health, and prevent HIV transmission.¹ Family and caregivers play an important role in HIV treatment as well.

 

 

We all know that there is great power in prayer. But once the National Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS is over, you can continue the work of HIV awareness and education in the following ways:

 

 

• Organize a community wide candlelight and prayer vigil and/or a community HIV education and testing activity.

 

• Widely distribute HIV information to the congregation and community.

 

• Promote HIV testing by providing this direct service or partnering with your local health department or community health service agencies.

 

• Consciously design ways to show compassion and care to persons living with and affected by HIV.

 

 

I’d like to personally encourage you to join the National Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS (NWPHA) happening March 1 – 8, and National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day on March 10. Spread the word to all your friends, family members, and colleagues to shift the way people think about HIV.

 

 

The healing of HIV can become reality if more people understand the importance of HIV education and advocacy. The more people that can be reached – especially women – the more chances are improved of saving lives.

 

 

HIV prevention begins with each of us. We all have a role to play in ending the HIV epidemic. Get involved.

 

 

 

 

The National Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS is the forerunner of all national HIV awareness campaigns in the US. To learn more about NWPHA, visit their website. You can also connect with NWPHA of Twitter and Facebook.

 

For additional resources for HIV, visit HIV.gov, and cdc.gov/hiv.