The Balm In Gilead

Mission Statement

The Balm In Gilead, Inc.™ is a not-for-profit, non-governmental organization whose mission is to improve the health status of people of the African Diaspora by building the capacity of faith communities to address life-threatening diseases, especially HIV/AIDS.

The Balm In Gilead's pioneering achievements have enabled thousands of churches to become leaders in preventing the transmission of HIV by providing comprehensive educational programs and offering compassionate support to encourage those infected to seek and maintain treatment. The Balm In Gilead spearheads a dynamic response to the HIV/AIDS crisis in the faith community.

For 18 years, The Balm In Gilead has mobilized The Black Church Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS, which engages Black churches to become centers for education, compassion and care in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

The Balm In Gilead has established, and continues to develop, educational and training programs specifically to meet the needs of faith communities that strive to become centers for HIV/AIDS ministries, education and compassion. While continuing to broaden its work within African American communities, The Balm In Gilead is working in partnership with faith communities in Côte d'Ivoire, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania and Zimbabwe to effectively address the horrendous challenges of HIV/AIDS.
In the United States and abroad, the organization strives to:

• Develop and disseminate culturally appropriate educational materials to the African American Christian community
  
  

• Provide training, organizational, and technical assistance to churches, church groups, AIDS service organizations and health departments through The Balm In Gilead's HIV/AIDS Technical Assistance Center, which is supported through a cooperative agreement with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  
  

• Assist AIDS service organizations and health departments in deepening their understanding of the African and African American community in order to engage the church in HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment through culturally appropriate programs
  
  

• Provide the media industry with information about how the church meets the HIV/AIDS education needs of congregations and communities