DILG exhorts LGUs to support 26th Annual Int'l AIDS Candlelight Memorial on May 15

2009/05/10

DILG exhorts LGUs to support 26th Annual Int'l AIDS Candlelight Memorial on May 15

Tacloban City (May 10) -- All local government units in the provincial, city or municipal and barangay levels, are encouraged to support the 26th Annual International AIDS Candlelight Memorial on May 15.

In a memorandum sent to all provincial governors, city mayors, municipal mayors and punong barangays, Department of Interior and Local Government Undersecretary Austere Panadero encouraged the local chief executives to extend their full support to this year's AIDS Candlelight Memorial with the theme "Together, We are the Solution."

Local Chief Executives are encouraged to spearhead activities that underscore this year's theme among which are Candle Lighting, Disseminating Information on HIV and AIDS, Community Dialogue about HIV and AIDS, Calling for Community Action on HIV and AIDS and Musical and Dramatic Performances.

The AIDS Candlelight Memorial is an occasion where communities around the world gather to commemorate and remember those who have died of AIDS.

The International AIDS Candlelight Memorial, a program of the Global Health Council, is one of the oldest and largest grassroots mobilization campaigns for HIV/AIDS awareness in the world.

Started in 1983, the Candlelight Memorial takes place every third Sunday in May and is led by a coalition of some 1,200 community organizations in 115 countries hosting local memorials that honor the lost and raise social consciousness about the disease.

The Candlelight is also much more than just a memorial. It provides opportunities for leadership development, policy advocacy, partnerships, and improvement of community mobilization skills.

With 33 million people living with HIV today, the Candlelight continues to serve as an important intervention for global solidarity, breaking down barriers, and giving hope to new generations.

Aside from commemorating the lives of those lost and affected by AIDS, the Candlelight Memorial program serves as a community mobilization campaign beginning in December and ending with the international memorial in May.

The campaign begins on World AIDS Day on Dec. 1 when the Global Health Council unveils the season's official poster and theme. (PIA 8)

Cabatuan.com - Kasimanwa.com - Austere Panadero