World AIDS Day - Celebration Photographs from Darjeeling

World AIDS Day 2013 - Programme for Darjeeling Hills

Dear Friends,

World AIDS Day, observed on December 1 each year, is dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection. It is common to hold memorials to honor persons who have died from HIV/AIDS on this day as well as undertake public awareness programmes. Shanker Foundation Darjeeling Network of Positive People in association with various partners has been observing the day publicly in Darjeeling since 2006.

This year the theme of ‘GETTING TO ZERO – Zero New HIV Infections, Zero Discrimination and Zero AIDS Related Deaths’ signifies a push towards greater access to treatment to all; a call for governments to act now. The global campaign highlights how our fundamental right to health is intrinsically linked to other basic rights of food, shelter, freedom, clean water and safety. Crucial too is access to affordable life saving quality medicines free from the crippling effects of excessive profit making. GETTING to ZERO is the theme till the 2015.

The global theme is especially pertinent to the Darjeeling Hills. People Living With HIV/AIDS are struggling to access healthcare and vital ART and testing is still not available to all those who need it without an arduous, expensive 8 hour round trip to the nearest centre.

 

The Events:

 

Darjeeling- Getting to Zero Concert - 1 December 2013
We are holding an open air music concert at Chowrasta, with 10 up-and-coming local bands, ensuring a broad based appeal. We will be releasing Shanker Foundation’s documentary on “Stigma and Discrimination” and screening it throughout the day, as part of a day-long awareness event. Our outreach workers will also have information stalls and will be interacting with people throughout the day, in order to spread the message “Getting to Zero” to the 2,000 students and 4,000 members of the public who are expected to attend. Music is the easiest way to reach the youth in any part of the world and Darjeeling is no less with music being very deeply imbibed in the local culture. We know from our past experience that it is an excellent way to connect with the youth in Darjeeling, who will be an essential part of leading the change.

 

 Positive Haat 
 

As a side-event to the main programmes, Friends of Shanker Foundation are holding a fundraising sale for three days 30^th November to 2^nd December. Due to the strikes in Darjeeling this year, our local fundraising was severely hampered. This event is an effort by Friends locally to raise funds from our own community as well, an important step in the fight towards reducing Stigma and Discrimination. The garage sale, titled “Positive Haat” will also help spread awareness on HIV/AIDS in Darjeeling, and also of the work of Shanker Foundation and the needs of its members.

We look forward your generous contribution to the Positive Haat as well as attending and buying from the Positive Haat. Please do pass on the word about the Positive Haat for donations as well as buying stuff.

 

 

Kurseong – Information Kiosk

 The Kurseong sub-divisional group will have an HIV/AIDS Information Kiosk which will be placed in a prominent public place and manned by members and volunteers offering information and counseling throughout the day. Various means of public awareness will also be adopted.

 

Bijanbari – Information Kiosk

 The Bijanbari group will have an HIV/AIDS Information Kiosk which will be placed in a prominent public place and manned by members and volunteers offering information and counseling throughout the day.

The POSITIVE HAAT for World AIDS Day

Candlelight Memorial coming up soon

Dear Friends,

The time is here again for us to come together for the candlelight memorial on 19th May and remember all our friends we have lost to HIV/AIDS and re-dedicate ourselves to the cause.

The theme of the 30th International AIDS Candlelight Memorial is In solidarity. The theme emphasizes the need of people living with and affected by HIV to join hands and work together in the response to HIV. Solidarity in communities is essential to reduce stigma and promote involvement of people living with HIV in order to ensure a more effective HIV response. Only together as communities we can advocate for universal access to quality health services and HIV treatment, to raise awareness around HIV and to promote respect for human rights of people living with HIV.

The International AIDS Candlelight Memorial, coordinated by the Global Network of People living with HIV is one of the world’s oldest and largest grassroots mobilization campaigns for HIV awareness in the world. Started in 1983, the International AIDS Candlelight Memorial takes place every third Sunday in May and is led by a coalition of some 1,200 community organizations in 115 countries.

The International AIDS Candlelight Memorial is much more than just a memorial. The International AIDS Candlelight Memorial serves as a community mobilization campaign to raise social consciousness about HIV and AIDS. With 33 million people living with HIV today, the International AIDS Candlelight Memorial serves as an important intervention for global solidarity, breaking down barriers of stigma and discrimination, and giving hope to new generations.

We will update you on the programme in Darjeeling and call on you to take the memorial in your own spaces too. 

For further details please check http://www.candlelightmemorial.org

Do let us know your initiatives and ideas to commemorate this year's memorial.

 

In Solidarity,

roshan