(Madagascar/East Africa),

Elaine Caswell (Mali/West

Africa), Phil Malcolm (USA

Office/Cry Africa) and Dr.

Emily Johns, who will serve

as team leader.

Cry Africa, established in

2002 under the direction of

Brad Tucker, is a ministry

that networks and resources

those who are dealing with

HIV/AIDS issues on the con-

tinent. This new team

stands ready to partner ,

advise and serve with mis-

sionaries, national pastors

and national churches that

are in need of assistance in

dealing with HIV/AIDS issues

in their area of ministry.

Cry Africa has gone conti-

nent-based! In February of

this year, 7 African-based

missionaries came together

in Cape Town, South Africa

for the first preliminary

meeting of the Cry Africa

Strategic Task Force. This

new task force, established

at the directive of Regional

Director Mike McClaflin, is

committed to providing as-

sistance on issues relating

to HIV/AIDS ministries.

Those who are presently

serving on the committee

have a wealth of expertise

and experience in the field

of HIV/AIDS, including minis-

try, healthcare, education,

and social welfare. They

look forward to serving in

this vital area of need.

Members of the initial com-

mittee include: Stan Drew

(Swaziland/South Africa),

Suzanne Hurst (Congo/

Central Africa), Brenda Stry-

sko (Zimbabwe/Southern

Africa), Rhonda Allen

(Malawi/Southern Africa),

Aaron Santmyire

Brenda is a fully appointed

missionary who has been

active in HIV/AIDS ministry

since her 2002 arrival in

Zimbabwe. She has worked

tirelessly in a country whose

last published inflation rate

(July 2008) registered 231

million per cent! As a result

of hyperinflation, the Zim-

babwean infrastructure has

collapsed and all medical

facilities have shut down.

This has left Brenda, who

has an MS in Nursing and

post graduate work as a

Family Nurse Practitioner,

trying to assist Zimbabwe-

ans who line up at the door

of her home. She has little

medication...but a big heart

and faith in a big God.

Brenda’s main focus is train-

ing healthcare volunteers in

the rural areas of the coun-

try to prevent AIDS and care

for their loved ones who are

sick with the disease.

Brenda is definitely a “Hero

of the Faith”!

Cry Africa Now Continent-Based

S TAT I ST I C S

B e c a u s e o f t h e

b i o l o g i c a l

m a k e - u p o f

w om e n , t h e y

a r e 3 3% mo r e

l i k e l y t o b e

i n f e c t e d w i t h

t h e H I v i r u s .

I n s u b - S a h a r a n

A f r i c a , o v e r

6 0% o f H I V

i n f e c t i o n s a r e

i n t h e f em a l e

p o p u l a t i o n .

T h i s w i l l h a v e

d i r e

c o n s e q u e n c e s

f o r t omo r r ow ’ s

A f r i c a n

f am i l i e s .

SPOTLIGHT: Brenda Strysko,

Zimbabwe

P a r t n e r i n g w i t h t h e

C h u r c h t o f i g h t

H I V / A I D S i n A f r i c a

CRY AFRICA J u n e 2 0 0 9 V o l u m e 1 , I s s u e 1

Did y ou

know?

• HIV infections

can be reduced

up to 60%

through male

circumcision.

• The HI virus is

very weak and

dies within

seconds in the

open air.

• A 7 year study

out of the Uni-

versity of At-

lanta has

shown that the

origin of the HI

virus was in

West Camer-

oon.

P a g e 2

Greater

availability and

use of condoms

increases HIV

infection rates due

to a phenomenon

known as ‘risk

compensation’—

Dr. Edward C.

Green

Janice Cole

(above), career MA

with AGWM,

started Mercy

Medicine. She

works with AIDS

orphans and chil-

dren at risk in

South Africa. The Pope Had It Right

Want More Information?

www.cryafrica.org

B The Future—Check Out This Idea!

At the 4th Southern African

AIDS Conference (31 March-

April 3, 20009), a new con-

cept in AIDS education was

unveiled. Metropolitan Life, a

major South African business,

has funded and launched the

program entitled B The Fu-

ture. Mobile technology has

emerged as an effective tool

to disseminate information to

small and large groups

through mobile phone com-

munication. Figures show

that about 80% of South Afri-

cans have access to mobile

phones, yet only 12% have

access to the internet.

B The Future allows anyone

to easily and privately access

HIV/AIDS information on their

mobile phone. The service is

manned by Cellbook (http://

www.cellbook.co.za), a com-

pany that provides book pub-

lishers with the solutions to

effortlessly reach billions of

mobile users. It requires that

a mobile phone user SMS the

word “HIV” to the number

32907. With this call (which

costs approximately 8 cents),

users receive a cellbook with

information on HIV, counsel-

ing, support, and answers to

frequently asked questions.

The info has been com-

pressed to below 300kb for

quick, easy access. B The

Future is projected to reach

an astounding 44 million

mobile phone users! Now

there is an idea not only for

HIV/AIDS education, but for

spreading the gospel! (Check

it out at

www.livethefuture.co.za).

Africa Office:Africa Office:Africa Office:Africa Office: USA Office:USA Office:USA Office:USA Office:

Dr. Emily Johns, Cry Africa Phil Malcolm, Cry Africa

PO Box 11066 1626 N. Boonville

Bloubergrant 7443 Springfield, MO 65803

South Africa Phone: 417 862-2781

E-mail: emjohns@mweb.co.za E-mail: philmalolm@ahpac.org

of prophylactics: on the con-

trary, they increase it.”

Dr. Edward C. Green, director

of the AIDS Prevention Re-

search Project at Harvard,

said that science actually

supports this claim. Greater

availability and use of con-

doms increases HIV infection

rates due to a phenomenon

known as risk compensa-

tion...where one takes greater

chances than normal be-

cause of risk reduction

‘technology’ (in this case con-

doms). Green concludes,

“We have found no consis-

tent associations between

condom use and lower HIV-

infection rates...which, 25

years into the pandemic, we

should be seeing if this inter-

vention was working.” So,

the Pope did have it right!

Pope Benedict XVI was heav-

ily criticized by the world

press for declaring that con-

dom distribution programs

worsen the AIDS epidemic in

Africa. The Pope stated, “This

problem of AIDS cannot be

overcome merely with

money...if there is no human

dimension, if Africans do not

help [by responsible behav-

ior], the problem cannot be

overcome by the distribution

Debbie Smith

(bottom left),

AGWM MA, with

church volunteers

who are training

to help children at

risk in an after-

care centre

C R Y A F R I C A