The Zimbabwe AIDS Relief organization is a project of the Allen Temple Baptist Church's AIDS Ministry. In addition to the focus on Zimbabwe's HIV/AIDS crisis, the AIDS Ministry is focused on addressing issues of HIV/AIDS within the local BAY AREA here in California. Under the Pastorship of the Rev. Dr. J. Alfred Smith, Sr., our AIDS Ministry has flourished and reflects the deep committment of our Congregation to addressing HIV/AIDS both here locally and also globally.

OUR LOCAL FOCUS

We are actively committed to addressing through our local programs and services the seriousness reflected in the Alameda County State of Emergency on AIDS in the African American Community.

Our local efforts continue to be focused on education and prevention workshops and are targeting our messages to youth in particular. Through our proposed partnership with the YMCA East Bay, we are seeking approval of our proposal to enhance the AIDS education component of the Future Choice Program in Oakland's middle schools and high schools. We also participate in outreach and make HIV testing available through our Annual Health Fair held at Allen Temple Baptist Church in August each year. We also make use of the AIDS educational theatre presentation of "Secrets" which explores the role of peer interaction and peer pressure on teens with respect to engaging in behaviors which will place them at risk of infection. We also rally together our Congregation and our community in the Annual East Bay AIDS Walk which raises local awareness and provides us an opportunity to directly raise funds to support our local work in our community.

In 2007, we have implemented a new program to provide HIV education and prevention workshops to community youth, teens in foster care, our anger-management program clients, and participants in our onsite ex-offender training program. These new services have been funded by Gilead Pharmaceuticals and Kaiser Permanente - Oakland, CA.

OUR GLOBAL FOCUS

We have been operational in Zimbabwe for over seven years, delivering free HIV/AIDS medicines to now over 450 patients at two clinics in Zimbabwe; The Centre for AIDS Services in Harare, and the Mother of Peace AIDS Orphanage clinic in Mutoko. In addition to the HIV/AIDS medicines, we also offer other forms of assistance to the HIV/AIDS infected and affected in Zimbabwe.

Our successes over the years are largely attributable to our sponsors, supporters and donors like you. We depend upon donor support to obtain free, unused medicines, and multi-vitamins, or money to buy these medications. We have also been fortunate to receive various in-kind donations over the years, all of which have greatly improved the quality of life of the beneficiaries we support.

We know of no person who has ever travelled with us to Zimbabwe who has not been changed forever by the need they have witnessed.

We hope that you will explore this website to learn all that you can about the impact of HIV/AIDS and come away empowered with the feeling that you can take some specific actions to make a definite difference. We also look forward to your continued support of our projects.