Week 4 Discussion

One need only to read the Millennium Development Goals (MGDs) to be both inspired and overwhelmed by the size and extent of their aims. The sixth goal, which pertains most directly to our group seeks to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS by 2015 and actually begin to decrease the disease's prevalence. A wonderful goal, but one that seems so daunting when looking at the statistics of those living with HIV. In the US alone there are about 40,000 new cases a year (according to Increase in HIV Among Gays [July 29, 2003]). The US is not the worst country by any means. The devastation AIDS has wrought to sub-Saharan Africa is well documented, but how are we to stop or even slow the disease in countries like Botswana, where the prevalence rate among 15-49 year olds is 38.8% of the population? How are nations to address the issue, let alone churches?

The links I provided below are an attempt to see how different organizations and churches are mobilizing themselves to help reach the MGDs. My recommendation to churches is to choose one MGD and devote prayer, time, energy, and resources in participating with that goal. As the global health concerns group, we will look at the sixth goal. But let us remember that issues of health, education, poverty, etc. are inextricably linked. The International AIDS Vaccine Initiative recently created a helpful report, "Putting it All Together" (.pdf) that outlines the connections between the different MGDs and the AIDS goals, specifically how the disease affects or impedes the implimentation of the other MGDs. We can see how AIDS affects poverty in the following quote from the report:

An analysis across 80 developing countries predicts that in a “typical” African country with 20% HIV prevalence, the rate of GDP growth would be 2.6% lower each year than in the absence of AIDS, due to a reduction in growth per capita (1.2%) and a shortfall in population growth (1.4%). (3)

We should be careful, however, to simply tie all the goals together. That is, just because one goal moves forward does not necessarily mean that other goals are also progressing. The World Bank issued a report in 2004 that stated many countries were falling behind in reaching the health MGDs though they may be making progress on other MGDs. This reminded me of a quote in Global Transformations: "[Globalization] cannot be conceived as a singular condition but insteqad refers to patterns of growing global interconnectedness within all the key domains of society." (Held, et al., 27) While, therefore, there is interconnectedness between economics and healthcare, we cannot assume that just by improving one of those components, both will necessarily improve.

What then can we do? The UN Millennium Project has laid out some opportunities for people to become involved. One of their suggestions is for people to write letters to political representatives, newspapers, and to organize letter writing campaigns. An example of this can be seen in Bread for the World who acknowleded the interconnection between world hunger and disease, and focused their 2004 Congressional letter writing campaign on foreign aid to African nations affected by AIDS.

As churches we must seek to equip all our members to engage in addressing the powers and work towards kingdom ideals. We cannot compartmentalize our communal worship times from our activity in the world. The Micah Project sponsored a worldwide prayer day for the MGDs and published a small work (.pdf) that had suggestions for corporate and individual prayer times. These concerns for the health of the world must enter into our liturgy or we will simply be another social group rather than heralds of God's reign.

On a personal note, I am encouraged reading these works, but I also feel a weight on me. It is heartbreaking reading stories of massive death due to diseases that have been shown to be at least treatable if they are not cureable. May our tears lead us to prayer and action. As Bono said, the situation in Africa is, "not a cause...an emergency."

Week 4 Links

Building off of last week's links, I've decided to look at the sixth Millennium Development Goal (MGD) and how different organizations are working to fulfill it.

1. The Millennium Development Goals: What you can do
2. World Health Organization's 3 by 5 Initiative. This initiative seeks to "provide three million people living with HIV/AIDS in low- and middle-income countries with life-prolonging antiretroviral treatment (ART) by the end of 2005."
3. DATA policy page
4. Covenant News, Global AIDS: "The Greatest Humanitarian Crisis of All Time." This an example of how the Evangelical Covenant Church is seeking to address HIV/AIDS. I wish they had more specific actions listed.
   
5. United Nations Non-Governmental Liaison Service. Information about the sixth MGD that includes a good overview of HIV/AIDS, the MGD, and specific actions groups have taken and can take.
   
6. The Micah Challenge's Millenium Development Goal 6 Page. A good site with three types of information: Christian source materials, general source materials, and major reports.
7. The Micah Challenge's Prayer Points (.pdf). A helpful resource for including the MGDs in church services.
   
8. Many Countries Falling Behind In Race To Improve Health And Reduce Deaths By 2015: World Health Organization and World Bank to convene high-level meeting in Africa to offer help. This article describes the problem that many nations are having in reaching the health MGDs, but it also outlines some actions that can be taken. Focused primarily on the national level.
9. International AIDS Vaccine Initiative: Putting it All Together (.pdf). Links the different MGDs and their relationship to HIV/AIDS in particular.
10. Bread for the World: Churches Write Congress to "Keep the Promise" to Poorest Countries. Bread for the World's 2004 letter campaign aimed to persuade "Congress to fund, at the promised levels, the Millennium Challenge Account and the Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. These U.S. initiatives were both created last year to significantly reduce hunger, poverty and disease in developing countries."