WASHINGTON – U.S. first lady Laura Bush praised faith-based groups for their contributions in the fight against Africa’s deadliest killers – HIV/AIDS and Malaria – as she wrapped-up her four-nation tour last week.

Mrs. Bush, joined by her daughter Jenna, concluded her Africa tour Friday after visiting countries benefiting from U.S. financial support for HIV/AIDS and malaria prevention and treatment programs. Her weeklong visit included spots in Senegal, Mozambique, Zambia, and Mali.

“Religious institutions bring a personal healing touch to the fight against AIDS,” Bush said at the Mututa Memorial Center in Zambia, according to The Associated Press. She added that Zambian health caregivers “know very well the healing power of faith.” more >>

First Lady Laura Bush announced Wednesday a $507 million grant to Mozambique to build roads and wells that will be use in the battle against the country’s biggest killer and the continent's biggest child killer.

The southeastern African nation will use the fund to improve roads, agriculture, and install water wells to provide clean water.

“The compact will help eliminate mosquito breeding grounds and by providing safe water for nearly 2 million people, the devastating toll of the water-borne disease including malaria would be reduced,” Bush told a gathering of religious groups, according to Reuters. more >>

Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu is among hundreds of Christian leaders around the world who have signed a letter urging G-8 nations to start “scaling up” their response to HIV and AIDS.

The letter is a reminder to G-8 leaders of the commitments they made at the G-8 summit in July 2005, when they promised to work towards universal access to HIV and AIDS treatment by 2010.

“These words have given hope not only to the millions living with HIV but also to their families, to their communities and carers, and to entire countries for which the economic and social fabric is threatened by the devastation of AIDS,” the letter warns. more >>

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – HIV/AIDS, the incurable disease affecting over 40 million people worldwide, attracted less than a dozen people at an annual gathering of some of the top Christian journalists in the nation.

“‘Black Death’…I wanted to make the title of this workshop as scary as I possibly could to try to hopefully motivate journalists to run into the burning building,” joked workshop leader Tim Morgan, deputy managing editor of Christianity Today, during one of the several workshops held Friday at the 2007 Evangelical Press Association Convention. “When everyone else is fleeing the tornado [journalists] are running toward the disaster to cover the story.

“So we can see who showed up, right?” he said with a laugh while assuring attendees that they will have a “great” workshop despite the low turnout. more >>

Nearly $1 million will go toward the expansion of a global abstinence program in Africa, where HIV/AIDS infections prevail.

Biblically-based True Love Waits International, created by LifeWay Christian Resources, will use $950,000 in donor gifts to promote a message of moral purity and encourage sexual abstinence until marriage in six African countries.

"Although HIV/AIDS is a concern worldwide, the most concentrated and high-risk area continues to be the continent of Africa, where the life expectancy in some countries has dropped from age 42 to as low as age 30," said LifeWay President Thom S. Rainer, according to Baptist Press. "We are very pleased to make this announcement today (Apr. 11) because we believe True Love Waits can be the answer for the AIDS epidemic on the entire continent." more >>

Moral beliefs may play a significant role in the prevention of HIV/AIDS, a national study revealed. But religious devotion is an "untapped resource" in the whole AIDS battle, says one of the study’s author.

"Religiosity, Denominational Affiliation and Sexual Behaviors among People with HIV in the U.S.," a study by the non-profit research think tank RAND Corporation, found that HIV-positive people who say religion is an important part of their lives are likely to have fewer sexual partners and engage in high-risk sexual behavior less frequently than other people with the virus.

According to Frank H. Galvan, lead author of the study, the study suggests there's a role for religious institutions to play in the fight against the spread of HIV. And the role of faith communities goes beyond talking about sexual abstinence. more >>