As an evangelical pastor and the founder of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition, I’ve dedicated my life to working alongside underserved communities — from the barrios of New York and Orlando to villages across Africa and Latin America. I am the son of pastors and church-planters, and I became one myself. Over the years, I’ve learned that when compassion meets commitment — when faith, hope, and service intersect — lives are transformed.
In our Christian tradition, we are reminded that there are over 2,000 verses in the Bible urging us to uplift the poor. Feed the hungry. Care for the widow, the orphan, and the immigrant. Heal the sick. These are not suggestions — they are sacred commands. And they are at the heart of what we, as people of faith, are called to do.
What if I told you that one of the most effective tools in the world today for living out that calling is something called the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria? Since 2002, this international partnership has saved more than 65 million lives — lives that are often overlooked among the world’s most vulnerable communities. The Global Fund unites governments, nonprofits, businesses, and yes, faith communities, to confront the world’s deadliest epidemics in over 120 countries.
And here’s the good news: the United States leads the way. We invest less than one-tenth of 1% of our discretionary federal budget in the Global Fund, and for every $1 we’ve given, the rest of the world has been required to contribute at least $2 more. It’s a powerful example of how America leads not just with its might, but with its mercy.
I’ve seen the impact firsthand. A few years ago, I walked through U.S.-supported clinics in Malawi and Tanzania — places once devastated by disease. I met mothers who once feared their children wouldn’t survive. I was deeply moved by one of my interactions with a father with the same name as my dad, Hector, who told me that his infant daughter is alive because of this help. Today, many children are laughing, learning, and living — all because Americans cared enough to act. In Tanzania alone, treatment rates for HIV rose from just 18% in 2010 to a stunning 94% today. That’s the Gospel in action.
These numbers aren’t just statistics. They are real people’s stories. They are answered prayers. They are evidence of what happens when faith doesn’t stay in the pews but walks boldly into the world.
And it’s not just missionaries or pastors doing this work. Organizations like World Vision, Catholic Relief Services, and other faith-based partners are some of the Global Fund’s most effective hands and feet on the ground. For decades, communities of faith have been among the strongest advocates for the health and dignity of the most vulnerable. This work is not separate from our calling — it is our calling.
That’s why I, along with more than 225 faith leaders across the country, have signed a letter urging Congress to support a $2 billion contribution to the Global Fund for fiscal year 2026. We are asking Congress not just to renew a financial commitment, but to renew a moral one.
To our elected officials — and especially to our leaders here in Florida — we say thank you. Thank you to Chairman Mario Diaz-Balart for your leadership in sustaining strong funding for the Global Fund and PEPFAR through the fiscal year 2026 House National Security and Related Programs Bill. Your support shows the world that the U.S. remains steadfast in its commitment to saving lives.
Let’s not stop now.
Supporting the Global Fund is not only the right thing to do — it’s the smart thing to do. It supports American jobs through procurement of health supplies and strengthens global health security, helping contain outbreaks before they reach our shores.
This is what faith looks like when it shows up. It looks like generosity. It looks like healing. It looks like hope.
So let us, as a nation, live up to our highest calling — to love our neighbor, to care for the least of these, and to lead with both courage and compassion.
Let’s not walk away from a tool like the Global Fund that works. Let’s invest in life.
The Rev. Dr. Gabriel Salguero is pastor of The Gathering Place, a Latino-led multi-ethnic Assemblies of God congregation in Orlando.
