HomeDecember 2005
WITNE EXTRA:
World AIDS Day
News and ResourcesDecember 1st is the annual observation of World AIDS Day, the international day of action on HIV and AIDS. This year’s theme is "Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise." Here’s a list of some of the many events taking place around the globe.
Another helpful web site is The World AIDS Campaign, which offers a wealth of information. And, AIDS.org is an excellent place to start when learning about this disease.
The Chicago Public Library is another excellent resource. You can find information about World AIDS Day, along with various links on their web site.
Another excellent web site is Conference Alerts, which has a page devoted to conferences related to AIDS worldwide.
One of the best sources for information about AIDS is Global Health Reporting.org. According to their web site, this is a project "developed and operated by the Kaiser Family Foundation with major support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to provide journalists and others -- including researchers, policymakers and nongovernmental organizations -- with the latest news and information about HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria worldwide." On their "about us" page, they offer daily headlines about AIDS-related stories, and they also offer a long list of key organizations involved in the fight against this disease.
Incidentally, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is "committed to promoting greater equity in global health, education, public libraries, and support for at-risk families in Washington state and Oregon." You can find out more about their global health initiatives here.
According to their web site, the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation is a "non-profit, private operating foundation focusing on the major health care issues facing the nation. The Foundation is an independent voice and source of facts and analysis for policymakers, the media, the health care community, and the general public." They also offer a very informative section on women and health care policy.
The World Health Organization(WHO) offers information about AIDS on their web site, along with an Epidemiological Fact Sheet on different countries, and a link to UNAIDS.org’s previous annual Updates on the AIDS Epidemic.
The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, UNAIDS is the main advocate for accelerated, comprehensive and coordinated global action on the epidemic. You can read more about the AIDS Epidemic Update 2005 here.
The National Women’s Health Information Center offers a page devoted to the subject of women and HIV.
Faith-Based Communities
Are you curious about faith-based organizations and their involvement with and responses to the AIDS epidemic? Here are just a few examples:
The Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance offers suggestions for what you can do. They offer a helpful resource page.
In 2004, General Conference delegates of the United Methodist Church created their Global AIDS Fund with the goal of raising $8 million by 2008 for use in global or local projects.
On the Council of Religious AIDS Networks web site, sensei Pat Enkyo O’Hara writes about the Buddhist tradition of compassion and the response to AIDS.
Dr. Ruth Messinger, President, wrote a piece about the Jewish response to the world AIDS crisis on the American Jewish World Service web site.
According to their web site, the Secretariat for African American Catholics, a part of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, has come up with a National Plan of Action, adopted at Congress IX. Their plan states "HIV/AIDS is one of the most devastating diseases confronting the African and African American community, Black Catholics and others Catholics must engage in efforts to assist in research, treatment, education and elimination of this disease." You can find out more on their web site.
The National Muslim AIDS Initiative is the "first national effort to target American Muslims, including immigrants, on the HIV/AIDS issue. This site was developed at Bronx Community College of the City University of New York. Among their resources, they offer an Islamic perception on the prevention of HIV/AIDS.
International
Are you curious about international initiatives and organizations involved in the fight against AIDS? Again, here’s a glimpse of what’s going on around the world:
You can find information on AIDS in Australia here. And you can find out about Oxfam Australia’s Global Fund Campaign here.
England’s George House Trust serves people living with HIV and AIDS. Also, the UK’s People and Planet Student Network is working to take action and raise awareness.
And, you can read about England's AVERT, an international AIDS charity, here.
According to their web site, Link UK’s mission and vision is "of a future where children are given a chance to flourish and fulfill their potential. Our mission is to improve the potential of disadvantaged people in Africa to gain meaningful employment by sharing and developing appropriate skills through education and training. We believe that education is a basic human right and fundamental to breaking the cycle of poverty."
In South Africa, HIVAN’s purpose "is to promote, conduct, and build capacity for research that is responsive to, and contributes to alleviating the circumstances of, people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS."