From Faith to Action - Faith to Action Initiative

The devastating impact of HIV/AIDS presents us with one of the greatest moralchallenges of our time. With compassion, hope, and courage, grassroots andfaith-based organizations have taken a lead role in supporting the growingnumbers of children who are orphaned and made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa. People of faith around the world have the opportunity to act on theirbeliefs and to respond.Investing in community and faith-based organizations is one of the most powerfulways that an individual can make a difference in the lives of children and in theresponse to HIV/AIDS. Yet these local groups—the very source of hope to so manychildren and families—are often not seen or appreciated by outside funders.There are thousands of diligent groups working to support families in their effortsto provide children with the loving care, basic material support, and educationalopportunities that every child deserves. What these groups lack most are the resourcesto do so adequately. We invite you to turn faith into action and join us in building abetter future for children.Suppose a brother or sister iswithout clothes and daily food.If one of you says to him, ‘Go, Iwish you well; keep warm andwell fed,’ but does nothing abouthis physical needs, what goodis it? In the same way, faith byitself, if it is not accompanied byaction, is dead.(James 2:15–17)Uphold the rights of the orphan;defend the cause of the widow.(Isaiah 1:17)A father to the fatherless,a defender of widowsis God in his holy dwelling.God sets the lonely in families.(Psalm 68:6–7)It is righteousness to believein God and…to spend of yoursubstance, out of love for Him,for your kin, for orphans [and] forthe needy…and practice regularcharity; to fulfi ll the contractswhich you made; and to befi rm and patient in sufferingand adversity and throughoutall periods of panic. Such arethe people of truth, the Godconscious.(Sura 2:177)26