Looking Back on the Last 8 Years from the Faith-based Initiative Office

Aimee Herd : Jan 19, 2009
Michelle A. Vu – Christian Post

"…most of all we're thankful for the way that it has lifted millions of lives across the country and around the world for the downtrodden and hurting."

(Washington, DC)—One of the first tasks President George W. Bush accomplished when he first came into office was to create the White House "Office of Faith-based and Community Initiatives" (OFBCI).

Now, a look back on the President's past two terms reveals just how effective this humanitarian endeavor has been. Through the OFBCI, various community groups along with faith-based non-profits have worked with the government; taking on challenges such as HIV/AIDS, homelessness, substance abuse and more.

"When you see 100,000 children of prisoners matched with caring mentors, when you see homelessness cut 30 percent in the United States, when you see over 10 million people impacted by AIDS cared for throughout the world you recognize that this has an impact of far beyond what most people understand," explained OFBCI's acting director Jedd Medefind.

Some of the 8-year achievements listed in the Christian Post report included:

Supporting more than 250,000 recovering addicts through the Access to Recovery voucher program.

Providing more than 2 million people infected with HIV with anti-retroviral treatment in sub-Saharan Africa.

Providing billions in domestic nutrition assistance and food aid overseas.

Helping to reduce recidivism through the President's Prisoner Reentry Initiative.

"But most of all we're thankful for the way that it has lifted millions of lives across the country and around the world for the downtrodden and hurting," added Medefind.

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