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We want to touch them

Lutheran work offers a powerful witness to the love of Jesus Christ

Her name is Hana Shawel. She is 5. Her brother Efram is 12. They aren't orphans yet, but it's only a matter of time. Her father died of AIDS nine months ago; her mother is HIV-positive. They live in Ethiopia, where affordable HIV/AIDS treatments are only available for the rich.

What happens to Hana will depend, in part, on who steps forward to care for her when her mother gets sick — and on the resources of the Ethiopian Evangelical [Lutheran] Church Mekane Yesus, which runs the Hope of Life Social Service Center that serves her family. The center depends on global partners, such as the ELCA, which gives $105,000 a year to support Mekane Yesus' AIDS ministries.