World AIDS Day Candlelight Vigil Where:  Silver Spring Veterans Field                8515 Fenton St. When:   12/ 01/2006                5 pm - 7 pm    Get involved! Join us at the Silver Spring Veterans Field (8515 Fenton St.) for an evening of songs, music and speeches from Local Government Officials and H.E. Ambassador Cyrille S. Oguin (Ambassador Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Benin to the United States).   Around forty million people are living with HIV throughout the world - and that number increases in every region every day.  Ignorance and prejudice are fuelling the spread of a preventable disease. Together we can stop AIDS.   World AIDS Day, December 1st is an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV and AIDS. This year, it's up to you, me and us to stop the spread of HIV and end prejudice.   This starts by taking action. Wear a red ribbon Talk to people Get involved in local events   Silver Spring _________________________________________________________________________________ The red ribbon The red ribbon is an international symbol of AIDS awareness that is worn by people all year round and particularly around World AIDS Day to demonstrate care and concern about HIV and AIDS, and to remind others of the need for their support and commitment. The red ribbon started as a "grass roots" effort, and as a result there is no official red ribbon, and many people make their own. It's easily done - just use some ordinary red ribbon and a safety pin! What can I do to support World AIDS Day? There are many ways in which you can support World AIDS Day. For example: Raise awareness of HIV and AIDS in your area Wear a red ribbon and ask others to do the same Protect yourself and your partners - this is the first and best way to stop the spread of HIV If you are worried - get tested. At school or work, you can support World AIDS Day by: Having a dressing up, down or fancy dress day Putting up some posters (see below) - get people talking Selling red ribbons Organising a creative writing/poster campaign Setting up a debate or a quiz - there're lots of ideas for topics on our site Cooking an international meal or having a cake sale Arranging a sponsored three-legged race or balloon release Getting your friends, family, colleagues or pupils to express their feelings and expand their knowledge about AIDS Using your imagination! Get Current Time with World Time Server Enter a country or city: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Past World AIDS Day themes have been:

2005 - Stop AIDS; Keep the Promise 2004 - Women, Girls, HIV and AIDS 2003 - Stigma & Discrimination 2002 - Stigma & Discrimination 2001 - I care. Do you? 2000 - AIDS : Men make a difference 1999 - Listen, Learn, Live: World AIDS Campaign with Children & Young People 1998 - Force for Change: World AIDS Campaign With Young People 1997 - Children Living in a World with AIDS 1996 - One World, One Hope 1995 - Shared Rights, Shared Responsibilities 1994 - AIDS & the Family 1993 - Act 1992 - Community Commitment 1991 - Sharing the Challenge 1990 - Women & AIDS 1989 - Youth 1988 - Communication ____________________________________________________________________________________

XVI International AIDS Conference

VOA

AIDS: International NGO Provides Local Networking Avenues By Angel Tabe Washington, DC 18 August 2006   listen to the interview Among the many participants at the Toronto AIDS Conference is an organization called “A Global Public Healthcare Foundation.” It’s based in a suburb of Washington, DC, and for three years, it has worked with more than 50 community-based groups in Benin, Cameroon, Nigeria and Togo. Kilian Songwe is the president and founder of the foundation. VOA English to Africa reporter Angel Tabe asked him what led to its creation. “I ran into lots of people from sub-Saharan countries in desperate need for people to hear their stories, find out what they were doing, and network. All these people fly out to meet somebody who’s going to help increase their capacity. The conferences do not address that. I decided to create the link between the desperate need on the African continent and the excesses of the West.” He expresses the hope that over time, and based on its theme “Time to Deliver,” the Toronto conference will be able to address such issues. Songwe’s foundation has been working in countries where he says geographical location and other factors facilitate mobility and put people at higher risk. He says the big challenge for the region remains stigma, discrimination and denial. He recently had to pay a patient to admit his case openly in a Nigerian university! Working with a tight budget, a Global Healthcare Public Foundation has created community partnerships, for instance placing AIDS orphans in permanent homes. The foundation conducted a campaign that tested almost 5,000 people, some of whom are now in treatment centers. “Our medication program donated medication to local clinics in the amount of almost 200 thousand US dollars. They have been where no one has spoken about AIDS, so they used different means to bring them out to listen: traditional dances in Togo, soccer in Benin; and while abstinence is encouraged, they promote condom use where unemployment is high.” Songwe says because of donor fatigue, fundraising is the biggest challenge for NGOs. But their goal is keeping more people productive, because death has a ripple devastating effect on families. “Once we can take testing to these people for free, we are going to come up with true numbers, then, with programs on how to reach them, put them on medication.” Let us know what you think of this report and other stories on our website. Send your views to AFRICA@VOANEWS.COM, and include your phone number. Or, call us here in Washington, DC at (202) 205-9942. After you hear the VOA identification, press 30 to leave a message. We want to hear what you have to say! E-mail This Article Print Version

FOADOC       Please join the Foundation as we support The Foundation for Orphaned, Abandoned and Disabled African Children (FOADAC)  at their   Inaugural Banquet.   Date: September 9th 2006 Time: 6:30pm – 11:00pm Place: Pikesville Hilton Hotel 1726 Reisterstown Road, Baltimore, MD 21208   Contact: 410 654 1211