What is World AIDS Day?
World AIDS Day, observed on 1 December each year, is an important opportunity when governments, national AIDS programs, faith organizations, community organizations, and individuals around the world bring attention to the global AIDS epidemic and emphasize the critical need for a committed, meaningful and sustained response.
The global theme for World AIDS Day from 2011-2015, as selected by the World AIDS Campaign, is “Getting to Zero.” Backed by the United Nations, the “Getting to Zero” campaign focuses on the goals of zero new infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS related deaths. Read more about this year’s theme from the World AIDS Campaign.
What can I do for World AIDS Day?
Join in Worship:
- A World AIDS Day Liturgy, developed by ecumenical partners in Germany, focuses on the theme of "Zero Discrimination". The liturgy contains scripture readings, prayers and skits that may be adapted to your local context. This resource is available in English and German.
- Liturgies and worship resources from past World AIDS Days are also available here
- The Balm in Gilead has developed a number of resources around the National Week of Prayer for the healing of AIDS, observed in the United States in March each year. These resources include a guide on how to develop a sermon around HIV and AIDS and an online worship book containing liturgy, prayers and hymns that may be used in World AIDS Day services. Both resources may be downloaded here
- The Christian AIDS Bureau of Southern Africa (CABSA) and the CARIS programme in South Africa highlight resources focusing on the Christian response to HIV at their website. These include Bible messages, prayers, poems, stories and liturgies.
Raise Awareness
World AIDS Days is also a time to share stories of people living with or affected by HIV from other parts of the world, especially stories that demonstrate "zero discrimination".
- See the personal stories here. Other resources available include: The One Who Dries Our Tears, a collection of stories from Ethiopia of religious leaders and people living with HIV produced by the joint Trocaire, CAFOD and SCIAF office there; Prayer alone is not enough: People's stories of HIV and faith, from Progressio; and Building HIV Competent Churches: Called to Prophesy, Reconcile and Heal from the Christian Conference of Asia.
- Congregations and faith communities may also consider inviting a person living openly with HIV to be a guest speaker at a World AIDS Day event.
- A logo, and other graphics material for World AIDS Day are available through the World AIDS Campaign here.
- Share what you are doing for World AIDS Day, including photos and worship resources you have developed, by emailing sspeicher@who-needs-spam.e-alliance.ch By sending your events and materials, we assume you grant EAA the right to post the materials on its website and use in other campaign and worship resources.
Continue the Reflection into Advent
The EAA's online 'Live the Promise' Advent Devotional Calendar, first shared in 2010 in English, is also available this year in Spanish and French. Written by a diverse cross-section of Christians from around the globe, reflections on current HIV issues will lead leaders in daily Biblical reflection and prayer.
