Every third Sunday in May, people around the world gather to honour and celebrate the lives of those who have been affected in some way, by the global HIV epidemic. 

This year, this event, known as the International AIDS Candlelight Memorial, will be commemorated on Sunday 17 May 2009, and will unite activists from 115 countries. Started in 1983, today, the Candlelight Memorial is led by a coalition of some 1,200 community organisations who host local memorials within their countries. The Candlelight Memorial is the largest and oldest grassroots mobilisation campaign for HIV awareness in the world.

 But the event is also much more than just a memorial, as it provides opportunities for leadership development, policy advocacy, partnerships, and improvement of community mobilisation skills. It also provides journalists and members of the media with an opportunity to raise awareness about people within their own communities who have been affected, in any way, by the epidemic.

Points to Consider:

• Do people in your community know about the Candlelight Memorial? If not, how can you raise awareness about this event?

• How can you use the Candlelight Memorial as a media advocacy platform to increase awareness about prevention, treatment, care and support issues?

• When the event was first commemorated in 1983, much stigma and denialism around HIV and AIDS still existed. Has this changed in your community? Are people in your community able to freely commemorate the event? In this vein, you could develop an article which shows how stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV (PLHIV) has evolved over the years.

• Several people have played a big role in the response to HIV in the different countries, yet very few have been honoured. The Candlelight Memorial is therefore an opportunity for the media to tell the stories of those who have made a difference in their communities.

• Voices of people living with HIV have not yet been heard enough. This is an opportunity for the media to ensure that their voices are heard. 

For more information on the Candlelight Memorial, visit:

http://www.candlelightmemorial.org/