AIDS Candlelight Memorial in Arima

The 27th International AIDS Candlelight Memorial, the oldest and largest grassroots mobilisation event in the fight against HIV/AIDS, will take place in more than 115 countries with over 2000 communities this weekend to remember those lost to AIDS and to educate and mobilise communities for improving prevention, care and treatment.

The Candlelight Memorial is a programme of the Global Health Council with the Regional Coordinator of Latin America and the Caribbean based in Trinidad, OLeo Lokai Events are carded from tomorrow to Sunday. Tomorrow there will be a health fair with free HIV testing, and other health services from 1 pm to 5 pm, followed by the REd Ribbon Candlelight Illumination from 6 to 8:30 pm.

Beginning in 1983 in San Francisco, California, local community organisations, including HIV/AIDS support groups, schools, churches, businesses and health-care organisations have been holding events to educate people about HIV/AIDS and make people aware of the plight of those infected and affected by this global pandemic.

For 27 years most of the Candlelight Memorial programmes have been led by people living with HIV/AIDS emphasising the important role of civil society in promoting programmes and improved policies for addressing the disease.

“The International AIDS Candlelight Memorial demonstrates that when people care about their neighbours and others in their community, they can bring about significant and life-saving change,” said Dr Nils Daulaire, former president of the Global Health Council.

“There has been remarkable progress in improving the prevention, care and treatment of HIV/AIDS that has been the result of civil society’s leadership in the fight against HIV/AIDS in partnership with governments, donors, researchers and drug development companies. The change starts when communities demand the health care they need and deserve.”