Dr. Tim O’Shea, Give a Day supporter writes…Now that the days are shorter and the air has chilled, thoughts turn towards this year’s Give a Day campaign.  This year on World AIDS Day, December 1, the call will come once again to donate one day’s wages to an organization engaged in the struggle against HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa.  The Give a Day campaign is now in its seventh year, with over $3.5 million raised through grassroots efforts.  In any effort that spans such a time period, it is important to periodically reflect on whether continued engagement is required.  As I write this post, on my way home from a brief visit to Uganda, I am once again reminded of why it is so important that the momentum of efforts like Give a Day are maintained.

Each time I visit Uganda I see signs of clear progress; improved infrastructure, increased safety and security, and a growing sense of engagement within the community.  In the hospitals in which I teach, capacity has increased, and a new, energetic and ambitious generation of young faculty have risen to positions of power, bringing with them fresh ideas on how to scale the problems of the health care system.  There is reason for hope as well in the fight against HIV/AIDS; new and sophisticated treatment and prevention strategies have been developed which have allowed some in Africa to dream of an “AIDS free generation”.  However, nearly thirty years into the epidemic, it is important not to lose sight of the fact that HIV/AIDS remains the single greatest hurdle to meaningful development in much of sub-Saharan Africa.  And at the individual level, nearly two million people continue to die each year, each one a mother, father, sister, brother.  The loss of potential is staggering, and the despair that is left behind is difficult to witness.

So where does that leave campaigns like Give a Day, when the global response to HIV/AIDS is at a seeming crossroads between hope and optimism on one side, and loss and anguish on the other?  Whatever the answer may be, one thing is certain; complacency is not an option.  Faced with the realization that it is entirely plausible that we have the tools available to stop this epidemic in its tracks, we should be talking about re-doubling our efforts, not scaling back.  Each death, each new infection is an indictment of our global values and priorities.   So when that call to “Give a Day” comes this year, let’s make a statement.  Our job doesn’t end when we sign our name to that cheque.  Let’s make sure that our colleagues, friends, family, neighbours do the same.  It is the least we can do.