Sharing ‘The Lazarus Effect’ in faith communities

Aug 14th, 2010 1:00 PM UTC
By Adam Phillips

This month, we’ll be featuring blog posts that help illustrate the Global Fund’s effect on programs that fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria around the world — and the people suffering from these diseases.

Some stories are so good you have to share them with others. In the documentary film “The Lazarus Effect,” 11-year-old Bwalya Liteta talks a lot about her favorite school subjects, her friends and her favorite game “chicken in the den.” Bwalya is the epitome of a healthy, happy kid.

But this was not always the case. Bwalya is in fact HIV-positive. When we meet her in the film, she weighs 24 pounds, looks closer to 5 or 6 years old and is stuck at home, too sick to go to school or play with friends. Once she gains access to AIDS medication — called antiretrovirals — provided by the Global Fund, she is back to full health and back to school within three months

Bwalya is a living witness to something we call the “Lazarus effect” — lives transformed by smart solutions like those provided by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

What’s exciting is that ONE members are already sharing the news of “The Lazarus Effect” in their faith communities. Nearly 100 congregations, small groups and youth groups have signed up so far to take action this August and September to help ensure that others can experience this remarkable “Lazarus effect” from death to life.

You can still sign up your faith community to take part in the Lazarus Effect. Once you do, we’ll send you a free DVD of “The Lazarus Effect”, courtesy of our friends at (RED) for you to view with groups in your community. We’ll also include a downloadable action kit so you’ll be able to recruit others to ask President Obama to commit $6 billion to the Global Fund over the next three years.

TAGS: Diseases, Faith, From ONE Members, Global Fund, HIV/AIDS, Lazarus Effect, Malaria, ONE