The Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD) will be holding its third annual International AIDS Candlelight Memorial on Sunday, May 20 from 17:00 hours to 18:00 hours on the steps of St. George’s Cathedral in Georgetown.
A press release from SASOD said that this year’s theme “Promoting Health and Dignity Together” focuses on the fact that the HIV response will only be successful when it is an effort that is supported by all those affected by HIV and addresses their needs.
Moreover, the HIV response must include “all people living with HIV, key populations such as men who have sex with men, people who use drugs, and sex workers, as well as women and young people,” the release added.
The theme also “emphasizes that health and wellbeing cannot be achieved without respecting the dignity and promoting and protecting the human rights of all.”
According to the release, this year’s candlelight memorial-vigil will bring together members of the community, policy makers, health professionals, religious leaders and members of the public to share messages of hope, to express sentiments in prose, poetry, dance and song, to light candles and to observe a moment of silence for those lives that have been lost to AIDS.
Those lives can further be used as an opportunity to bring greater attention from communities to positive health, dignity and prevention as a rights-based and people-centred framework with a focus on the health and wellbeing 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, the release noted.
Started in 1983, the candlelight memorial takes place every third Sunday in May and is led by community, health and faith organizations in 115 countries.
