Be the change...

There are people who believe that human beings are inherently evil. And others believe that human beings are inherently good.

No matter what you believe you must admit that to a certain degree every human being has a capacity to give and receive love on some level. With that capacity comes a certain sense of caring. Once any human being has experienced love there is on a subconscious level the belief that others should experience love as well. The desire to make the lives of others better so that they too can experience love transcends religions, denominations, ethnicity, age, gender and socio-economic background.

Take for example, Debbie Dortzbach. She is not a celebrity. She is not famous. She is a human being who has a heart and she has dedicated her life to improving life for those living with AIDS.


This is an excerpt from a Relevant Magazine article.




For decades, Debbie Dortzbach and her husband, Karl, have had a passion for world missions. On their first trip to Eritrea in 1973, they survived an abduction by the Eritrean Liberation Front and later wrote a book about the experience called Kidnapped. Since then, her passion for international missions, AIDS awareness, orphan support and sex education for youth has only grown. She now serves as World Relief's international director for HIV/AIDS programs and travels the world developing strategic leadership plans to help fight AIDS and promote its awareness. Her new book, The AIDS Crisis (InterVarsity), looks at the problem of AIDS and what role we can have in helping those affected by it.

How did you first get involved in the fight against AIDS?
For years I had been working in urban and rural poor communities in Kenya. When symptoms of AIDS surfaced in the mid '90s, it was disconcerting. Young adults were dying. Always before it was the children we were concerned about. Now we were terribly concerned as children were left vulnerable without their parents. Obviously, something very drastic was surfacing, and to learn more I returned to graduate school not only to educate myself, but to develop skills to know how to approach such a vast, community-wide problem. I discovered that the community-based work I had done all my life was a rich starting place for helping develop a church-based movement of God's people addressing the growing AIDS crisis.

How has the anti-AIDS and international relief efforts changed in recent years?
There has been much progress—from addressing issues of denial and human rights geared toward high-risk groups to admitting that AIDS knows no boundaries—and we all are vulnerable and responsible to protect ourselves and to care for those affected. Initially, responses were painstakingly slow with few committed Christians involved. Today, a movement has erupted of Christians eager to see God change the face of AIDS in the world and begin with them. It's exciting.

Do you think that celebrity involvement in global AIDS relief has made a major difference?
It depends on which celebrity. If the celebrity uses it to leverage self-examination and committed action that actually benefits people who are affected, it's wonderful. Some are very helpful—pushing individual and corporate or community responsibility. Others appear self-serving in the long run—thinking of image and construing other agendas. By and large, high-profile individuals or organizations have a very big responsibility—to mobilize, to mobilize, to mobilize. It is organizations like World Relief and the local church that need to show those mobilized how to get active and what works. That also is a huge responsibility. God has much for all of us to do.

What regions of the world are doing the best job in combating AIDS, and what have their strategies been?
Thankfully, several are emerging. First of all, much of Latin America has escaped the large numbers Africa has faced. I believe in part the important role of religion has influenced this. Other regions like Kenya, Uganda and Burkina Faso have had large rates which are now beginning to decline. That is very encouraging and is a mark of effective prevention efforts—notably abstinence and life skills for youth, marital faithfulness among men and women, and clear political endorsement.
Is it difficult to identify the root of the problem?
Not to identify—behavior is the root. The struggle comes in trying to change behavior—dealing with relationships and self.

How can a passionate Westerner join the effort and really make a difference?
The degree to which we make a difference depends on how we transform passion into godly behavior and action. This means subjecting to deeper understanding of issues, cultures, strategies and approaches. This means self-examination about our own fears, expectations and sexual practices as well as thoughts. This means getting out of our comfort zones to meet people where they are and invest in them over the long term to guide changing behavior and to care for the long illnesses relating to AIDS. AIDS gives new definition to sustained commitment in ministry.

What steps can twentysomethings take to fight cultural and political indifference?
Discover role models—study them, follow them, learn from them. Get informed—there is a ton of information, not just about AIDS but about what is working in AIDS. Get involved—examine your own behaviors, attitudes, prejudices, reluctance to touch the issue of AIDS. Get involved in reaching out to people with AIDS in your own community. It will change your perspective and make the problem real, enabling a more informed and cross-cultural response in other places. It will tear down walls of self-righteousness and stigma.

Tell us about your new book.
It is trove of people's stories—affected by AIDS and loved by God. It is a guide to getting into the nitty-gritty and saying no to indifference through identifying practical steps of engagement. It is a basic primer, telling God's story of intervention through His church and people, meant to be sanctuary from the harsh realities of global AIDS.

Debbie Dortzbach is the author of The AIDS Crisis (InterVarsity).