The PCP has just ordered 5,000 HIV tests from Science with a Mission (SMI). Byron Miller will take them with him on the plane when he goes to Congo at the end of August. While the HIV/AIDS rate is not as high in Congo as in some countries in Africa, many high-risk people go untested, including blood donors and pregnant mothers.

Two barriers stand in the way. The first is cost. While the SMI tests cost us only a dollar apiece, the numbers of people to be tested in the Ubangi area and the CEUM medical system are in the tens of thousands, and constantly changing. Through the generosity of PCP donors who have given money for this purpose, we are able to go ahead with this order.

The other barrier is technology. Traditional HIV testing requirest laboratory equipment and electrical power. Here is where the SMI tests are key. SMI uses a technology called immunoassay, which enables the tests to be used without electricity or expensive equipment. The tests also give the result more quickly than other methods do.

More help is needed, but we are deeply grateful to all who have given for the medical needs of the people in Congo.