Health Event
International AIDS Candlelight Memorial Day in Bangladesh
Lighting the path to a brighter future
Dr Khalid Hasan
Every year the International AIDS Candlelight Memorial draws thousands of communities together across the globe to light candles and demonstrate support for those who have been affected by HIV/AIDS. The International AIDS Candlelight Memorial Campaign, a programme of the Global Health Council, based in USA, is a 12-month mobilisation project that encourages communities and individuals around the world to become more involved with HIV/AIDS work through participation in a worldwide memorial. The Memorial takes place every year on the third Sunday of May. The date for this year's International Candlelight Memorial was May 21, 2006, 3rd Sunday of the month, where worldwide coalition of coordinators has joined for orchestrating local candlelight memorial, a program of the Global Health Council for that day. The communities all over the world gathered together in solidarity to light the candle and remember those who have been impacted by HIV/AIDS. The Theme of this years' memorial was "Lighting the Path to a Brighter Future". The campaign has four main objectives: 1. To honor the memory who were lost to AIDS 2. To show support for those living with HIV and AIDS 3. To raise community awareness and decrease stigma related to HIV/AIDS; and 4. To mobilise community involvement in the fight against HIV/AIDS. United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan said, "We must make people everywhere understand that the AIDS crisis is not over; that this is not about a few foreign countries, far away. This is a threat to an entire generation, that it is a threat to an entire civilisation..." Memorial observed in Bangladesh This year Rotary Club of Dhaka East (RI District 3280), in collaboration with UNFPA, ACNielsen Bangladesh, Social Marketing Company, Sanofi-Aventis, STD/AIDS Network and many other NGOs working on HIV/AIDS commemorated the International AIDS Candlelight Memorial at Dhaka Press Club. A large number of people including journalists and press people participated in the event and expressed their solidarity. In addition, other organisations such as ICDDRB, Mukto Akash, Bandhu Social and other NGOs have observed this event at different places in Bangladesh. Impact Through observing this event, it helped increasing awareness, understanding, volunteerism, reducing HIV/AIDS related stigma and discrimination and fundraising opportunities. This has also created a sense of global solidarity toward PLWHA (People Living with HIV/AIDS). The writer is Managing Director of ACNielsen Bangladesh and President (2006-07), Rotary Club of Dhaka East. [[email protected]]
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