Nashville, TN – World Vision and longtime World Vision Artist Associate Margaret Becker partnered to launch the Orange Fund as they are marking the 10th year anniversary of their Artist Associate program.
The new non-profit fund was launched at the annual World Vision evening showcase during the recent Gospel Music Association Week in effort to expand HIV/AIDS programs around the world. The money will be used not only to increases awareness of HIV/AIDS but also to provide other needs such as food to third world countries. As World Vision being the first organization to start proactively addressing the AIDS crisis in Africa, it is expected that with greater fund through the Orange Fund, their effort toward elimination of AIDS and other human depravity will be much more enhanced and strengthened.
The idea for the Orange Fund was developed by one of World Vision’s earliest artist associates, Margaret Becker, after finding out about the increasing AIDS crisis in the early 1990s. She wanted to pave the way to help those who are in most desperate need.
"Two years ago, I approached World Vision about creating a flexible fund that could address the HIV/AIDS issue. The Orange Fund is the culmination of that initial idea," said Becker, “In this time, when everyone is pulling back, cutting budgets, doing the safe thing, I believe we are to demonstrate the character of Christ by doing the unexpected giving the extra bit that costs us something everything. This is not the time to shrink back, but rather to give our widow's mite. The Orange Fund is a way to do that. It goes above and beyond the traditional model of giving in this area."
The Orange Fund gives an opportunity to not only artist, but others as well, to be creative with the fund they are raising. By partnering with an organization that already carries out humanitarian works, contributors can donate their money directly to World Vision and the money will be used in various way to support people in need around the world.
The first donation for the Orange Fund was given to World Vision by the Sparrow Foundation, which donated proceeds from the Sparrow Records album, In the Name of Love: Artists United for Africa, released earlier this year. The Sparrow Foundation is a non-profit organization that provides support for individuals, charitable organizations, institutions and churches that advance Christian values. In addition to providing financial assistance to the musical arts, The Sparrow Foundation also provides relief to fight social injustice, discrimination, and depravity.
Swaziland in Africa will be the first country to receive Orange fund. Although currently Swaziland is the country with 38.6 percent of population infected by HIV/AIDS, which is the highest number in the world, Swaziland hasn’t receive any help from the U.S. nor World Vision until now. The fund will be mostly used to provide medicine and prevention education.
