Category Archives: World AIDS Day 2011

In pursuit of a dream: 11 reasons to give

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Let’s wrap up Give a Day 2011 with 11 outstanding reasons to give. Follow these links to read on…

Reason #11 GIVE For the 34 million people living with HIV

HIV is treatable and preventable.  No one should die because of AIDS. Give a Day donations help work toward a world without AIDS.

Reason #10 GIVE As an expression of our united will

Dr Danyaal Raza describes the power of the combined voice of those who give.  It is about more than the money. Dr Raza reviews our need to speak up on the topic of HIV/AIDS “to effect lasting change at a time when the fight against HIV/AIDS is at a turning point.”

Reason #9 GIVE To eliminate new HIV infections among children by 2015

11-year-old Nigerian Ebube Sylvia Taylor, writes “No child should be born with HIV; no child should be an orphan because of HIV; no child should die due to lack of access to treatment.” Through support of community-based responses to HIV, Give a Day donations will help realize this essential goal.

Reason #8 GIVE To promote awareness and decrease stigma associated with HIV

Give a Day is a learning organization. There is always more to learn about HIV. The more we learn, the less we can be confused and misled by stereotypes and stigma.  Learning together opens our minds to see life from new perspectives and can help us to care for one another more effectively.

Reason #7 GIVE Because millions need antiretroviral treatment NOW!

Dr Tim O’Shea describes his work in Uganda and describes the contrast between impressive progress in the distribution of life-saving ARV treatment and the remaining reality of millions who still lack treatment “largely for the lack of funds.”

Reason #6 GIVE To support innovative action-oriented HIV research

Smart research is one of the reasons community-based HIV programs become more effective every year to enhance treatment and prevention.

Reason #5 GIVE To light a fire

Give a Day is about even more than giving and learning.  A good education leads to action. William Butler Yeats, the Irish poet (and later politician), said “Education is not filling a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” We want to light a fire through Give a Day.  We want that fire to burn brightly, to show a vision of a new and better future for the people and places affected by HIV.

Reason #4 GIVE To demonstrate a spirit of solidarity

If you look through the Give a Day blog posts, you see people from many sectors of society who have joined in the effort.  Here are young lawyers in Ottawa showing that they care and challenging their peers to give generously.

Reason #3 GIVE To maintain hope for a better world

Hundreds of high school students became involved with the Give a Day campaign this year, through not-so-trivial contests, speeches, donation-drives and ribbons of hope.  Young people are inherently hopeful.  May their hopes be realized for a better and healthier world.

Reason #2 GIVE To work toward a world without AIDS

Dr Winnie Siu reminds us that “an AIDS-free world will one day be achieved through – and only through – the synergy of our collective contributions.”

Reason #1 GIVE Because life slips away

The number one reason we press on is because everyone deserves the opportunity for a long, healthy and meaningful life.

Today is the last day of 2011. Martha Nussbaum says “The pursuit of a dream requires dreamers: educated minds that can think critically about alternatives and imagine an ambitious goal.”  Our ambitious goal is a world without AIDS. If you have not already done so, please give one day’s pay today to make this dream come true.

First Give a Night Ottawa a Great Success!

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Organizing Committee- Give a Night Ottawa

On Sunday, December 4, 2011, Ottawa area lawyers, articling students and other young professionals gathered at Social Restaurant and Lounge for cocktails, mingling and most importantly, to support an amazing cause.

Hosted by Ottawa articling students, and graciously supported by the Ottawa community, the FIRST ever and SOLD out Give a Night debuted outside the Toronto market. Glamorously-dressed guests were treated to a “red-carpet” experience, complete with photographer, DJ, and an incredible list of silent auction items. VIP booths were also provided to marquee sponsors Norton Rose OR LLP, Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, and Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP.

As you can see from these photographs, the young professionals in attendance certainly demonstrated how to “party with a purpose”. From the inevitable bidding wars that ensued, to the stimulating conversations that sprung around the ambient event area, the night provided several memorable experiences for all that attended.

The event was wildly successful, generating over $4, 000 for the Give a Day campaign. Due to the fantastic response garnered by Give a Night Ottawa, the organizing committee has already set its sights on a bigger and more successful event next year.

Make sure not to miss Give a Night 2012, Ottawa!

St. Aloyisius Gonzaga Secondary School Goes Red for World AIDS Day

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St. Aloysius Gonzaga school-wide ribbon of Hope. Photo by Andrew Motyliwski

Mary Schroder, teacher at St. Aloysius Gonzaga Secondary School writes…The school community of St. Aloysius Gonzaga celebrated AIDS Awareness week and World AIDS Day.

The week began with a school-wide video presentation on HIV/AIDS, and continued with daily reflections and cupcake sales in the cafeteria.

A guest speaker from “Give a Day to World AIDS”, Jacob Philpott, spoke to a packed theatre and inspired the students with his experiences in Uganda. The week culminated with a red ribbon campaign, where each classroom door was decorated with a huge red ribbon and AIDS reflection. Students and staff wore red on Dec. 1st and created a school-wide human ribbon of Hope.

Funds raised will be donated to the Stephen Lewis Foundation.
It is my hope that one day all schools will participate in World AIDS Day and raise funds for an AIDS charity of their choice.

Residents Without Borders Photography Exhibit – The Gladstone Hotel

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Thursday, December 15 will be opening night for the annual Residents Without Borders Photography Exhibit in support of World AIDS Day and Give a Day to World AIDS. Always an exciting event, this year’s show promises another fascinating and beautiful collection.

The photo exhibit opening will take place from 6 pm until 9 pm on Thursday, December 15 at the Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen Street West in Toronto. Photographs will be available for sale, with all proceeds going to Dignitas International and the Stephen Lewis Foundation. The exhibit will continue until January 2, 2012, so be sure to add a stop at the Gladstone to your calendar and to drop by to enjoy this collection before the show closes.

GLINT- Learning About HIV on World AIDS Day

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On World AIDS Day, Give a Day held the first ever GLINT Challenge.  The Give a Day Live Not-so-Trivial Challenge was a marathon for the mind – a one-hour online twitter-based contest organized by Give a Day volunteers on the topic of HIV and the people and places most affected.  Over the course of one hour, 200 questions were tweeted from GLINT headquarters, recognizing that 200 people in the world die each hour because of HIV.  Aside from gaining a lot of knowledge, and bragging rights, the winning team would be able to direct $1000 in prize money to an organization that will use the money well in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

At noon on December 1, the volunteers at GLINT headquarters were ready with 200 questions and worked as a team to systematically tweet them out.  Twelve different twitter handles were registered in the challenge, and while individuals from Canada, the U.S. and South Africa played along, the most intense competition was between the multi-person teams which ranged from high school students, to a group of seniors from Toronto.  During the hour of GLINT, 1029 tweets were exchanged, causing some accounts to go temporarily over their daily capacity!  Teams quickly switched over to alternate accounts and kept playing.

Anne Greenwood, a GLINT participant commented, “GLINT was a great event! It was a great way to get together with people on World AIDS Day.  And the questions really got the conversation started. After we finished answering the questions, we sat around for over an hour discussing HIV/AIDS here in Canada and around the world.”

After all the tweeting was complete, the answers were tallied and the winner was @StratfordNWSS, the team from Stratford Northwestern Secondary School in Stratford, Ontario.  Runners-up were @BulldogAttack, @anne_greenwood and @bethanyphilpott.  The students at Northwestern met to discuss different organizations and have decided to direct their prize to the Stephen Lewis Foundation.

The GLINT Challenge winners- Stratford Northwestern Secondary School!

Volunteers who organized this challenge report that it was an exhilarating experience. We often say that Give a Day donors are very unique. They have the ability to connect at a distance with people they will never know, and to see common ground and shared similarities.  Twitter has now given us a new way to connect with others who are concerned about HIV in the world and to work together to get people talking about HIV and how we can learn and respond. While we might not ever meet personally with those who participated in GLINT, it was remarkable to spend an hour together on World AIDS Day, and to know that so many others were using their time and energy to work towards a world without AIDS.

 

 

Winners of the GLINT Challenge – Stratford Northwestern Secondary School

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Karen Congram, Teacher at Stratford Northwestern Secondary School writes…Northwestern students are honoured to be the first-ever winners of an international research competition. The GLINT Twitter Challenge took place on World AIDS Day, December 1st. GLINT is an online contest on the topic of HIV and the people and places most affected by HIV. Recognizing that 200 people in the world die each hour because of HIV, there were 200 questions sent through the @GLINTchallenge Twitter feed between 12:00 and 1:00 p.m. Teams around the world race to send correct answers back over Twitter.

Students were nominated by teachers. The eight students chosen for the team were Ben Congram, Kenny Edwards, Sam Hall, Michelle Hicks, Jackie Laing, Amanda Pearson, Milos Tausan, and Erik Van Dijk. The three teacher coaches were Karen Congram, Morgan Kneider Patterson, and Sherry Mason, with Ms. Mason sending the tweets for the whole team.

The competition was fast, exciting, chaotic, stressful, and fun! Northwestern was the overall winner, and as such has the honour of donating $1,000 to an HIV-related charity. The team met to discuss the choice and unanimously decided the money will go to the Stephen Lewis Foundation. The Stephen Lewis Foundation supports community-based organizations in African countries that have been deeply affected by the AIDS pandemic.

The GLINT Challenge is coordinated by the Give a Day campaign to raise awareness about World AIDS Day. The mission of the Give a Day campaign is to challenge each Canadian to give one day’s pay in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

World AIDS Day Events at Stikeman Elliott LLP

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Leaf Head by Andamiyo Chihota

Ashley Weber of Stikeman Elliott LLP writes… Today officially kicks-off the 2011 Stikeman Elliott Give a Day Campaign. Every year, Stikeman Elliott, along with a number of the other firms on Bay Street, participate in this grassroots movement to raise both awareness and much needed funds to support the global fight against AIDS.

This year, the SE Campaign is jam packed with a number of exciting events that are sure to spark your interest – including an engaging talk by Bruce Clark, the SVP Scientific and Regulatory Affairs of Apotex Inc., a long-standing firm client.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2011 EVENTS:

SPEAKER – 12pm-1pm:
• APOTEX: Bruce Clark will be speaking about Apotex’s long and arduous efforts to produce low-cost generic anti-retroviral drugs to combat the pandemic in Africa and other parts of the developing world. In particular, he will offer insight into the politics and backdoor negotiations that have taken place behind the scenes that have stymied efforts to successfully produce life-saving AIDS drugs under the Canadian Access to Medicines Regime, as well as offer solutions and opportunities for Canada to reengage in the debate on a global scale.

SILENT AUCTION – 12pm-2pm:
• PHOTOGRAPHY: Displayed all week in the 53rd floor boardroom corridor, world renowned photographer, Steve Simon, is showcasing his photographic exhibit depicting the heart of Africa – its people, its culture and its energy. All artwork will be available for purchase through silent auction, with a portion of the proceeds going to the Give a Day charities (Stephen Lewis Foundation and Dignitas International). Also available for purchase is Steve Simon’s book, displayed in the 53rd floor boardroom corridor.
• SHONA SCULPTURE: Zimbabwe artist Andamiyo Chijota’s stone sculpture, entitled “Leaf Head” is also on display in the 53rd floor boardroom corridor, and will be part of the silent auction. A portion of the proceeds will go the Give a Day charities.

BAZAAR – 12-2pm:
• AFRICAN BAZAAR: Grandmothers from the Stephen Lewis Foundation will be selling African crafts (jewellery, vases and other holiday gift ideas), a portion of the proceeds of which will go towards assisting grandmothers in Africa taking care of their grandchildren left orphaned by AIDS.

We encourage all at Stikeman Elliott to come out this Thursday December 1st, World AIDS Day, to eat, listen, purchase, and be merry as we kick-off the holiday season in support of Give a Day!

Why I Give a Day – Dr. Winnie Siu

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Dr. Winnie Siu

My first introduction to Jane Philpott was a picture of her smiling at me from a poster card advertising an event where she was to receive an award for her work in raising awareness and funds to fight HIV/AIDS, particularly recognizing her efforts through the Give a Day campaign.

At the time, I was a medical student early in my clinical training, doing an elective rotation at Casey House and entertaining a faint career interest in global health. I had returned from the sub-Saharan African country of Zambia just a few months earlier where I had been working on an HIV research project. The trip had left me pondering questions about social activism, the role of Canadian doctors in international health, and my responsibilities to vulnerable populations as a physician. I had not met very many doctors involved in global health, and I was intrigued by this woman who had spent almost a decade working in Niger and was now receiving an award for championing the cause of HIV/AIDS in Africa locally. A few weeks later, I heard the name Jane Philpott again, in the context of the opening of a family medicine residency program with a focus on global health. I tucked all these pieces of information away in the back of my head.

Fast forward three years, a few more international experiences, a pervasive and growing desire to engage in global health, and a number of residency interviews later, where, at present, you can find me most days working in the residents’ room beside Jane’s office at the Health for All family medicine clinic at Markham Stouffville Hospital. I am now in my second year of residency, and one amongst the first cohort of residents to train in family medicine with an emphasis on issues of multi and cross-cultural health, as well as health of populations that are marginalized and vulnerable both locally and globally.

Despite this, I must be truthful in admitting that many days, the health and well-being of those living on other continents is far from my mind. Residency has a way of making you focus intently on the here and now – the patients on your list for that morning, the on-call shift you are working that night, the presentation you are (frantically, always) preparing for the next day. Mostly, this is good and necessary: I want to give my undivided attention to the patient who is sitting right in front of me. Yet it is so easy for me to forget to consider the global context of the health and wellness of populations – and my reasons for becoming a doctor in the first place.

In as much as Give a Day is a chance for me to contribute in a tangible way to the efforts of fighting HIV around the world, it is also a reminder for me to reflect on the motivations that I promised to stay true to during my medical training, like global health equity, social justice and human rights. What is remarkable about Jane is that I believe these issues are always at the forefront of her mind. For her, Give A Day is lived out every day of the year.

The two organizations that Give a Day supports, Dignitas International and the Stephen Lewis Foundation, have deep personal significance for me, as the founders of both wrote books which directly influenced my decision to pursue a career in global health. If you Google the salary of a second-year resident in Ontario, and divide this number by 210 (the number of working days in a year), I will be donating this amount, rounded up to the nearest hundred, to the Give a Day campaign on Dec. 1.

For some of you, this amount may be too little. To this I say: Great! I’m delighted that you’ll be able to give more!

For some of you, this amount may be too much. To this I say: That’s okay; it’s not how much we give individually, but the sum of our efforts that will make the difference.

And isn’t this the point of Give a Day, after all? The seemingly daunting, insurmountable task of an AIDS-free world will one day be achieved through – and only through – the synergy of our collective contributions.

Borden Ladner Gervais LLP Show Their Strong Commitment

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James Fraser, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Dignitas International

Parisa Nikfarjam, Articling Student at Borden Ladner Gervais LLP writes … On November 28, 2011, a group of lawyers, staff and students from Borden Ladner Gervais LLP had the pleasure of having lunch with James Fraser, co-founder of Dignitas International.

Mr. Fraser described the important work that Dignitas International does at the community-level in Malawi. BLG learned about the innovative medical care facilities created by Dignitas International and the research and advocacy initiatives that have been added to the mandate in recent years. However, it was Mr. Fraser’s stories about his experiences with those affected by HIV and AIDS that really inspired the room, and left some with tears.

Mr. Fraser explained a conversation he had with a woman in one of the medical clinics in Malawi, who questioned why it was that Dignitas International was supporting complete strangers. Mr. Fraser responded that the reason why more fortunate people, like Canadians, help those affected by HIV and AIDS in other parts of the world is the shared sense of humanity – the idea that regardless of where you are born and in what circumstances you find yourself, your life is as important as the life of anyone else.

This response not only established a deep connection between Mr. Fraser and this woman, but it also reminded the rest of us of the very basic rational of the Give a Day Campaign. This event provides yet another driving force for the various activities planned this week to support the Stephen Lewis Foundation and Dignitas International at BLG.

BLG is looking forward to doing its part on World AIDS Day on December 1st by encouraging people to give a day’s pay to fight HIV and AIDS.

“Activate” by Dr Danyaal Raza

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On November 22 at this year’s Hot Talks, Dr. Jane Philpott challenged the audience to ‘donate, educate and activate’. If you have found your way to this post, you are no doubt already educated to the crisis of HIV/AIDS in Africa and have committed to donate a day’s pay on December 1st. But it is Dr. Philpott’s third challenge, to activate, that asks the most of us.

Without the support of campaigns like GAD, the capacity of Dignitas International, the Stephen Lewis Foundation and their African partners to fight this disease would become seriously compromised. But to begin and end our support at personal financial contributions would betray their full potential to effect lasting change at a time when the fight against HIV/AIDS is at a turning point. Though the collective action of GAD support is important, it will also take the collective action of every Canadian through our government to tip the balance at a time when progress is under threat.

In 2009, the Minister of International Cooperation announced a realignment of priority countries under the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). Instead of continuing relationships with many low-income countries in Africa suffering from some of the highest rates of AIDS and related diseases, funding was shifted to middle income countries with which Canada was in free trade negotiations. Long-term partnerships, the bedrock for sustainable change, were severed and inroads made against the epidemic of HIV/AIDS in some of the most afflicted parts of the world were closed. Then, just one year later in the 2010 budget speech, it was announced that foreign aid spending would be frozen, further diminishing our countries capacity to effect change. In the face of the growing enthusiasm and the spirit that the GAD campaign has captured, do these decisions express our collective desire to fight poverty and disease? Clearly, they do not.

A federal budget is now around the corner, with deliberation and debate well underway. With calls for austerity, there is also real concern for further reductions of an already frozen foreign aid budget. From December 17 to January 29, Members of Parliament will be dismissed from Ottawa, and be home in their constituency offices. As Canadians who support campaigns like GAD and organizations like Dignitas International and the Stephen Lewis Foundation, now is the time to activate ourselves and activate our communities. It is time to let our representatives in government know that anything but a cut in the rate of HIV/AIDS is unacceptable.

Dan Raza is a family physician and current Fellow in Global Health & Vulnerable Populations at the University of Toronto’s Department of Family & Community Medicine. He recently completed his residency at Queen’s University and earned his MD from the University of Western Ontario.