• The History of the Event
  
• The Nature of the Event
  
• Materials and Support

The International AIDS Candlelight Memorial Campaign, a program of the Global Health Council, is the largest and oldest grassroots HIV/AIDS campaign. This 12-month awareness campaign encourages communities and individuals around the world to become involved in HIV/AIDS work by participating in an annual worldwide memorial.

The Candlelight Memorial Campaign involves all sectors of the local community including NGOs, government, faith-based groups, and community members in the fight against HIV/AIDS. From the beginning of this movement, the Memorial has served as a forum to honor the memory of those lost to AIDS, show support for those living with HIV/AIDS, raise awareness of the disease, and mobilize individuals around a common goal of responding to the local impact of HIV/AIDS. The Global Health Council provides all registered communities with the framework to effectively organize a Memorial in their communities and supplies the materials necessary to produce a successful impacting event including the official poster, Coordinator's Manual, and other materials.

The International AIDS Candlelight Memorial is a unique event that promotes discussion, education, and action around HIV/AIDS with the following four objectives:

• Honor the memory of those lost to AIDS;
• Show support for those living with HIV and AIDS;
• Raise community awareness and decrease stigma related to HIV/AIDS; and
• Mobilize community involvement in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

The History of the Event
The first International AIDS Candlelight Memorial was held in 1983, when the cause of AIDS was unknown and no more than a few thousand AIDS deaths had been recorded. The organizers wished to honor the memory of those lost to this mysterious disease and to demonstrate support for those living with AIDS. That remains the focus of the event today.

Since beginning of the pandemic AIDS has claimed more than 28 million lives, with over 42 million now living with HIV and AIDS. As AIDS continues to ravage communities around the world, the Candlelight has become a way for communities to take action by publicly mourning loved ones lost to AIDS, and by strengthening local and national commitments to fighting the pandemic. In small communities, it can help to increase awareness, understanding, volunteerism, and fundraising. In large cities, it brings together a diverse spectrum of people who care about HIV/AIDS. In all cases, the event creates a sense of global solidarity, and generates worldwide attention.

Local observances of the Memorial vary from community to community. Each Coordinator has the opportunity to tailor the framwork of the Candlelight Memorial to meet the particular needs of the people they are serving. Events can vary from a few friends gathering at a park or a place of worship to thousands of people marching through town holding candles and singing songs. There is not "right" way to organize a Memorial.

The Nature of the Event
Each local coordinator has the opportunity to tailor the Candlelight to the particular needs of the local community.

Events can vary from a few friends gathering at a park, or a place of worship to mourn the loss of their loved ones to the mobilization of several hundred people marching through town. Here are a few examples from past years:

• The Malaysian AIDS Foundation launched a 10-day-long event in Kuala Lumpur, including AIDS awareness exhibitions, forums, performances by nationally famous actors, and outreach in the Central Market, a popular youth hang-out, culminating in a rally in Kuala Lumpur's Independence Square.
• In Lansing, Michigan, USA, an AIDS Memorial Grove was dedicated, the Edgewood Sacred Dance Group performed to the African-American spiritual "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child," and participants sang "Lift Every Voice and Sing" while marching to the edge of the Grand River, where they placed their candles on the water.
• In London, England, a coalition of 32 AIDS organizations led several thousand people in an Act of Remembrance in the church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, followed by a candlelight vigil in Trafalgar Square.
• In Portland, Oregon, USA, event participants listened to musical groups including folk singers Lynn Anderson and Richard Columbo and the Portland Gay Men's Chorus. Activities in Portland included the reading of proclamations from the Governor and the Mayor, Taiko drumming, the presentation of AIDS Memorial Quilt panels, the tolling of a bell for those who have died, and a Dixieland-jazz funeral procession led by dancers who draped a casket and performed a symbolic dance for hope.
• In Caracas, Venezuela three choruses accompanied a candlelight procession from the Lutheran Church to a public square, where balloons bearing the names of the dead were released. The planning of the event led to the creation of a Network of all HIV/AIDS organizations in the Caracas area.
• "La Caminata Nocturna Silenciosa," the Silent Night Walk, proceeded from El Angel de la Independencia to the Plaza de la Constitucion in downtown Mexico City, Mexico. Organizers chose the slogan "With the Voice of Life, Death Silence will be broken." Participating organizations staffed information booths, and the event included theater, dancing, singing and music.

The event may also serve as a fund-raiser for the coordinating organization or for other worthy beneficiaries. Funds may be raised in a variety of ways, such as through sponsorship pledges from local businesses, and through collection baskets and the sale of candles and refreshments at the event itself. The event may also be used to raise awareness of the need for volunteers. The event coordination kit provides suggestions on how to raise both funds and awareness through the event.

Materials and Support
The Global Health Council provides Candlelight coordinators in each participating city with a complete event coordination kit. The kit includes full-color posters, graphics for reproduction on letterhead and event programs, flyers for photocopying and distribution, sample press releases and public service announcements for newspapers and radio and television stations, sample invitations to public officials, and a step-by-step guide with suggestions for local event coordination and fundraising. The Global Health Council also stays in contact with local event coordinators by phone, e-mail and fax to answer any questions that come up along the way.

NOTE: Even if your organization can't participate as a local event coordinator, perhaps you know a person or organization in your area who might be interested in the opportunity. Please help us bring the benefits of the International AIDS Candlelight Memorial to your area. Thanks!