Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise
Interfaith Service at the 2004 International AIDS Conference. (Paul Jeffrey/EAA)
World AIDS Day, observed on 1 December each year, is a unique opportunity when governments, national AIDS programs, faith organizations, community organizations, and individuals around the world come together to bring attention to the global AIDS epidemic. On World AIDS Day each of us can reflect on the ways HIV and AIDS affects us personally, how it affects our local communities and country, and how we can respond to the global pandemic. You have an important part to play on that day through planning or participating in events at your church, your school, and in your community.
The global theme for this year World AIDS Day is "Leadership" chosen by The World AIDS Campaign. This theme continues to be promoted with the campaigning slogan, "Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise."
Faith-based organizations have a special responsibility to encourage and highlight religious leadership in the response to HIV and AIDS.
World AIDS Day -What can I do?
There are many resources and ideas to support activities around World AIDS Day, including: liturgies and prayers, poster images, and advocacy ideas. Under this year's theme, the World AIDS Campaign has prepared 3 posters: Empower. Lead. Deliver available in English, French, Spanish, and Russian.
Worship
Your church, youth group, women's or men's group, prayer circle, club or school is encouraged to join people all over the world in prayer as we observe World AIDS Day. Why not plan a special order of worship on World AIDS Day or the Sunday before? We have several worship service outlines including a new ecumenical liturgy for 2008 in English, French, Spanish and German. These can be used or adapted and are available as Word documents to make it easier for you to adapt it for local use. Other worship resources, including prayers, images, and sermon ideas are also available.
If you or your church develop worship resources for World AIDS Day, particularly using the global theme, please send them to us to share with others. Email us.
Action
You can make a difference in the fight against the spread of HIV and AIDS! Here are a few ideas to combine with worship, prayer, and learning.
- Find out what your church has said about HIV and AIDS and ask church leaders what they have done to follow up on their statements.
- Learn about the commitments toward universal access to prevention, treatment, care and support made by governments and how you can join in civil society to ensure that effective targets are made and kept. UNGASS.
- Raise awareness of HIV and AIDS in your area. Link up to other community events around World AIDS Day. Work with and support networks of people living with HIV and AIDS.
- Wear a red ribbon and ask others to do the same.
- Help mobilize action in your community - such as a march, vigil, or letter-writing campaign - calling on your national leaders to set clear targets for their commitments on HIV and AIDS and to actively work towards universal access by 2010. Use the posters from the World AIDS Campaign.
- Visit political leaders or write to them to make sure that they are keeping to commitments they have made for the care and support of people living with HIV and AIDS. Lobby them to increase their commitments.
- Be tested for HIV. It is important for all of us to know our status, so that we can make informed decisions that affect our own health and that of the people we love. Seek out and promote good counseling and confidential testing. This is also an important way for religious and community leaders to break down the stigma often associated with HIV and testing.
Learning
Take the Lead. People from all over the world have signed on their leadership to stop AIDS. If you haven't already, make your pledge NOW by signing up on the right column. The 'leadership pledge' is the World AIDS Campaign initiative aimed at individuals to commit themselves to action on AIDS. To view the pledges click here.
Take time each day this Advent season to reflect, with Christians from around the world, on the pain, hope and love made starkly visible in the HIV pandemic. The "Keep the Promise Advent Calendar", first used in 2007, includes 37 devotional reflections that demonstrate the leadership of Christians around the world that are engaged at all levels of the response to HIV and AIDS.
