Smith College
April 3, 2008
Presenters
Steve Haas
Vice President--WorldVision, Acting on AIDS.
Steve Hass is a gifted and dynamic spokesperson for WorldVision's worldwide humanitarian work, with a role that includes working with church leaders, contributing to strategic planning on major issues, and communicating about global issues that affect the poor. While few of us may be called to relief work, Steve believes that “all of us are under orders to live out loud.”
While pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from the University of Kansas, Steve temporarily suspended his studies to work in youth ministry in the Philippines. After graduating, he labored along the Thailand border as a relief worker aiding Vietnamese and Cambodian refugees. He went on to earn a Master’s of Divinity from Fuller Theological Seminary in 1985, then served as associate rector of Craigsbank Church in Scotland while pursuing postgraduate studies in Edinburgh.
His career has included serving on the staff of Illinois’ Willow Creek Community Church—one of America’s best-known megachurches—where he developed small group ministry and then local and international ministries. He joined World Vision in 2001. His leadership of World Vision’s “Vision Trips,” which allow church leaders to personally witness the impact of AIDS in African communities, has helped to engage and mobilize congregations across America on the AIDS crisis.
Steve also was one of the driving forces behind the launch of World Vision’s Acting on AIDS program, which today has chapters at dozens of colleges across the U.S.
While pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from the University of Kansas, Steve temporarily suspended his studies to work in youth ministry in the Philippines. After graduating, he labored along the Thailand border as a relief worker aiding Vietnamese and Cambodian refugees. He went on to earn a Master’s of Divinity from Fuller Theological Seminary in 1985, then served as associate rector of Craigsbank Church in Scotland while pursuing postgraduate studies in Edinburgh.
His career has included serving on the staff of Illinois’ Willow Creek Community Church—one of America’s best-known megachurches—where he developed small group ministry and then local and international ministries. He joined World Vision in 2001. His leadership of World Vision’s “Vision Trips,” which allow church leaders to personally witness the impact of AIDS in African communities, has helped to engage and mobilize congregations across America on the AIDS crisis.
Steve also was one of the driving forces behind the launch of World Vision’s Acting on AIDS program, which today has chapters at dozens of colleges across the U.S.
Princess Kasune Zulu
Leader in International AIDS Advocacy--WorldVision, Acting on AIDS.
Princess Kasune Zulu took a bold step when she saw how AIDS was devastating her native Zambia: she refused to stay silent. She started hitchhiking with truck drivers on the transcontinental highways. The men, who frequent prostitutes and then return home to their wives, are at high risk of getting and spreading the virus. As Princess rode in their cabs, she lectured them about preventing AIDS.
Princess has shown great courage in her fight against the pandemic. And this fight is personal — she was orphaned by AIDS herself. By age 15, Princess had lost both parents and a baby sister to AIDS-related illness, and was left to care for her three younger siblings.
In 1997. Princess launched a campaign to educate other Zambians to protect themselves from infection. At that time in Zambia, AIDS was rarely discussed and carried a heavy stigma, yet she went public. She says, “If we keep quiet, so many more people will die.”
She spoke to truckers, gave seminars to businesses and worked with churches and schools. She reached even more people by hosting her own national radio show, “Positive Living”. The program received honors from the U.S. Embassy in Zambia for excellence in broadcasting on HIV and AIDS.
Princess now speaks around the world to encourage people to make a difference for children and families affected by the virus. She has taken her message to the United Nations and international AIDS conferences. In her push for more government resources to fight AIDS, she has met with President George W. Bush and other global leaders. Her story has been featured in the Wall Street Journal and USA Today, and on ABC’s Good Morning America, FOX News and BBC News.
Princess has shown great courage in her fight against the pandemic. And this fight is personal — she was orphaned by AIDS herself. By age 15, Princess had lost both parents and a baby sister to AIDS-related illness, and was left to care for her three younger siblings.
In 1997. Princess launched a campaign to educate other Zambians to protect themselves from infection. At that time in Zambia, AIDS was rarely discussed and carried a heavy stigma, yet she went public. She says, “If we keep quiet, so many more people will die.”
She spoke to truckers, gave seminars to businesses and worked with churches and schools. She reached even more people by hosting her own national radio show, “Positive Living”. The program received honors from the U.S. Embassy in Zambia for excellence in broadcasting on HIV and AIDS.
Princess now speaks around the world to encourage people to make a difference for children and families affected by the virus. She has taken her message to the United Nations and international AIDS conferences. In her push for more government resources to fight AIDS, she has met with President George W. Bush and other global leaders. Her story has been featured in the Wall Street Journal and USA Today, and on ABC’s Good Morning America, FOX News and BBC News.