CHICAGO, IL (December 5, 2006) – The Zambian woman who lost both parents and a brother and sister to AIDS – and who is infected with the HIV virus herself – encouraged North Park University students last week to become a voice of hope.
Princess Zulu (her given name and not a title) was raised in poverty, but has become an internationally known AIDS activist who has traveled with Bono and met with President Bush.
Zulu told the students that she praised God when she learned she had been infected with the virus. She knew then, she said, that God was calling her to speak up about HIV/AIDS.
Her spirit is as infectious as the disease she is fighting and she urged the students to fight their own discouragement as they consider the size of the crisis and wonder if they can contribute to ending AIDS. “The reality is that you are somebody and God wants to use you right where you are,” she says. “God is calling each one of us in our different ways.”
While each person may be called in a different way, she stressed that we are all called to the same service. “HIV is calling us to love each other beyond measures,” said Zulu, who also encourages support through World Vision, for which she is a representative.
World health officials believe the AIDS pandemic is wiping out a generation of people on the African continent. The average lifespan in Zambia, Zulu notes, has declined to 35 years and continues to drop.
Women have bourn the brunt of the disease, accounting for 60 percent of new infections, Zulu said. Contributing to the problem has been the historically low status of women in that culture, although she quickly adds, “Women are becoming a voice for change.”
Zulu emphasized that many women infected with HIV continue to depend on Jesus Christ. “If they can hold onto Jesus Christ, why can’t we hold on, too?” she asked.
Acknowledging her own continuing struggles, she exudes a sense of hope. “Yes, the virus may take my body,” she affirms. “Yes, I may waste away. Yes, there are times when I feel sick. Yes, there are times when I feel nauseous. But, I am strong in the spirit! The more I get worse, the stronger I get in my spirit.”
The AIDS activist, who now resides in Chicago, has visited North Park in the past and told the students she included mention of the university in a book for which she was a contributor. The university, she said, has been a source of inspiration to her, noting that the school’s reputation as a place of compassion is widely known. To read a previously published story on her visit to North Park in April, please see Princess Zulu.
Zulu’s appearance was the kickoff to a number of activities sponsored by University Ministries to raise awareness and action in dealing with the AIDS crisis. Last Friday, as part of World AIDS Day, students participated in the downtown Chicago “Walk of Six Thousand Steps” – 6,000 is the number of children who die each day from AIDS.
The petition, which is addressed to the President, reads in part:
Thank you for your bold leadership in creating the President’s Emergency Response for AIDS Relief and for requesting increased resources to fight global AIDS each year for the last four years. These resources are helping millions of people.
However, more needs to be done. In your budget request to Congress for fiscal year 2008, please ask for at least $5 billion for global AIDS, with 10 percent dedicated to the care of orphans and vulnerable children.
