Give a Day ‘07 is… working together toward a world without AIDS
We await the final total for Give a Day (GAD) 2007, as there will still be donations up until December 31. But I am very happy to say that GAD’07 donations are well over $600,000!
This amount of money will bring immeasurable relief to thousands of people who are affected daily by HIV and AIDS. It also signifies that thousands of Canadians are actively engaged in the response to the AIDS pandemic.
The success of GAD has at least two indicators. The first is the mobilization of financial resources to fund the extraordinary work of the recipient organizations. The second is the critical role of GAD in spurring on the Canadian dialogue about AIDS in the world. We had amazing media coverage this year. The story of GAD was shared on all the major Canadian television networks and several radio stations. Information sessions about the AIDS pandemic and the GAD response were held in law firms, hospitals and service clubs.
Why does this matter? It matters, because, like all complex global problems, AIDS cannot be defeated by individuals – not by individual nations, or individual continents. The story; the suffering; and the solutions must be shared. This crisis is a call to global collective efficacy – that is the power of working together to bring an end to AIDS. GAD is a stirring Canadian expression of solidarity in this global challenge.
Thanks for your generous response. We are proud to say that GAD has brought new meaning to World AIDS Day in Canada. Get ready for GAD’08. Give a Day is here to stay!
Published by: GiveADay on December 27th, 2007 | Filed under Jane's BlogComment now »
Thoughts on the morning of World AIDS Day 07
In Canada, it is the dawn of World AIDS Day 2007. In Africa, Europe and Asia World AIDS Day ’07 the day is now well spent. I find myself wondering what the day has been or will be like for the estimated 33 million people around the globe who are infected with HIV. Some of the 33 million are my friends. Perhaps some are friends of yours.
I wonder about those who have AIDS today and have not been able to access anti-retroviral medication. Many will die today from this treatable infection.
I’m reminded of a song from Les Miserables…
Oh my friends, my friends forgive me
That I live and you are gone
There’s a grief that can’t be spoken,
There’s a pain goes on and on…
The pain of AIDS does go on and on. It goes on in the lives of millions of children whose parents are gone. The pain goes on in workplaces where no one can replace a colleague who has died from AIDS. And in the hearts of grandparents who see their adult children predecease them and are left to care for the grandchildren, there is truly a grief that can’t be spoken.
In Canada, our outrage over the global health inequities that drive the AIDS pandemic has been suppressed for too long. If you’re reading this then you already have a vision that these injustices must be rooted out. You are also demonstrating your desire to be part of the solution to AIDS in the world. No one knows all that will be involved in seeing this pandemic defeated. But I do know that it’s going to take millions of us, representing every nation in the world, working together to see the end of AIDS.
As you read about the Give a Day movement, I’m delighted if you think it’s a great idea. But please try to stretch yourself to go beyond a passing interest. Please find a way to give a day’s pay yourself to one of the great organizations who will use your money well to impact the lives of those affected by AIDS every day of the year. Over the next few days, we’ll tally the results of Give a Day 2007. Whatever the outcome, I thank you for joining me and hundreds of others across Canada, and around the world, by giving a day. My spirit is enriched to know that we have provided a measure of relief to those who battle this infection on the frontlines. And my spirit is hopeful that we have prodded the moral imagination of our time, moving us toward a world without AIDS.
Published by: GiveADay on December 1st, 2007 | Filed under Jane's Blog2 Comments »
