The Spring of Life Center is a place of hope for Nigeria's growing AIDS-affected population. In 1997, ECWA (Evangelical Church of West Africa) and SIM developed the AIDS Awareness and Counseling program in the city of Jos. The vision quickly expanded into a ministry center called Spring of Life staffed by workers from Nigeria and other countries.

What is our strategy? Spring of Life focuses on three areas:

1. Awareness and Education
2. Voluntary Testing and Counseling, including Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission
3. Home-Based Care

Staff members attempt to work with terminally ill sufferers and their children before parents die, and then with the extended families who open their homes to the orphans. This level of contact ensures that funding gets to the most needy. When appropriate, extended families are assisted to develop their own income generating businesses to help support the orphans.

	An AIDS Seminar

The ECWA AIDS ministry team believes it is vital to motivate local churches to be involved. They can assist in building an additional room on a house for orphans, provide assistance for school fees, or running an after school club. Local ECWA churches have stepped forward to respond to needs.

Give

Is there a way to help those infected with AIDS and their children? Spring of Life is an effective grassroots solution. The most urgent need is for funding to support these efforts. Options of how your funding could be used are as follows:

• Home Care Kit: most AIDS sufferers die at home. As Springs of Life staff visit homes they can take a home care kit. These contain supplies to ease the patients' symptoms of rashes, coughing, vomiting and diarrhea, and head and neck aches. They also give the home hygiene.
• Super Home Care Kit: contains all of the above plus an extra blanket, sheet and face cloth.
• Needed medicines for 1 month.
• Buy food for 1 month.
• Pay school fees for 6 months.
• Support a family for 1 month.
• Set up a small business for income generation.
• Pay rental on a house for 1 month.
• Pay for free testing to encourage more people to be tested.

In order to slow the spread of HIV and to continue to provide care and education for the community, the center needs financial partners. If you are interested to know more, please contact your nearest SIM Sending office.