Tag 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.

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.

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!

Because life slips away, would you give a day’s pay today?

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“I shall do this, not because I am noble or unselfish, but because life slips away… Therefore I shall try to do what is right, and to speak what is true.” (Alan Paton, “Cry, the beloved country”)

Let’s start with the bottom line:  I believe it is right to care about HIV.

I’m not generally predisposed to bouts of melancholy. In fact I’m often accused of being inexplicably optimistic about most endeavours I undertake. But every year, in the closing days of November, as the Founder of Give a Day, I have to fight against a temptation to feel discouraged. Our teams work tirelessly throughout the year doing all that we can with our available resources to broadcast the story of HIV and the havoc it inflicts on the world. But as World AIDS Day approaches, I am fraught with regret that I have not been able to do enough.

This year, my distress is more pervasive than ever. AIDS activists around the globe are responding with shock, despair and anger over news of calamitous cuts to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria. Dr Adrienne Chan of Dignitas International writes “I have had a knot in my stomach since the announcement was made official regarding what this means for the 300,000 patients started on antiretroviral therapy in Malawi by the government.” Added to the frustration over the Global Fund cuts is the reality that charitable giving in general remains low among Canadians. Likewise Give a Day donations so far are considerably lower than they were at this time last year.

So why do we persevere with the Give a Day challenge?

We press on because everyone deserves the opportunity to live with health and dignity. We press on because 6.6 million people are now receiving treatment for HIV infection. Give a Day donations contribute to making that number grow. We press on because 1000 babies are born each day with HIV. Those infections can be prevented and treated. Give a Day donations support community organizations that do just that. We press on for countless other reasons, whether backed by statistics or simply pleas for social justice. But it all comes down to this. It is right to care about HIV. And Give a Day is a good way to show that we care.

I appeal to you today, World AIDS Day 2011, to continue the good work we are doing together. Would you please take the time to make a donation to support people and places affected by HIV?  Our recommended recipients are the Stephen Lewis Foundation and Dignitas International.

Life slips away. Would you please give a day’s pay today?

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.

What does “solidarity” mean to you?

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Last year, a group of Give a Day (GAD) volunteers gathered to discuss the essence of the GAD movement and to think about how we could describe it in a few words.  After talking about why we “give a day”, we came up with the tagline, “Global solidarity – Local solutions”.

Since then, I hear that the word “solidarity” causes some confusion and misunderstanding.  What do you think of the word “solidarity”?

Some of us are old enough to remember the mass protest in Poland in 1980 under the leadership of Lech Walesa.  The movement took the name “Solidarity” to describe its demands for the right to form a free trade union and the right to strike. Our use of the word “solidarity” is better explained in another way.

To me, solidarity is the deepest expression of community spirit.  Solidarity is very closely connected to the concept of “Ubuntu”, an African philosophy that has been translated: “I am what I am because of who we all are.”

Solidarity reminds me of the concept of “collective efficacy” which is well described in Helen Epstein’s book, “The Invisible Cure”. Epstein’s book reviews the common features of communities who have most successfully worked together to respond to HIV. She notes:

The key to their success resided in something for which the public health field currently has no name or program.  It is best described as a sense of solidarity, compassion, and mutual aid that brings people together to solve a common problem that individuals can’t solve on their own.  The closest thing to it might be Harvard sociologist Felton Earls’s concept of “collective efficacy” meaning the capacity of people to come together and help others they are not necessarily related to.

In the scientific world, an object is solid if the particles within it are very closely bound together.  So if we as a global community are “solid”, it means that we move together.  What affects one of us affects all of us. This evokes the classic quote of Dr Martin Luther King Jr who said:

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.

Let me know what “solidarity” means to you.  If I knew that the “solidarity” tagline caused more confusion than inspiration, then perhaps it should be reviewed.  But until then, I’d say it well describes the sentiment behind why I give a day.

Will you join us in an act of pragmatic global solidarity?

Do you want to help now? If so…

Around December 1, I hope many will give a day’s pay in recognition of World AIDS Day.

Here are some other ways you can help…

  1. Share this. Tweet this.
  2. Follow us on Twitter.
  3. Like us on Facebook.
  4. Join our mailing list.
  5. Engage your community or workplace in a Give a Day campaign.
  6. Plan a harambee.
  7. Leave a response and let us know what you think!

Give a Day at Osler LLP

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Susan Elliot of Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP writes…Our firm is alive with all things Give a Day! The office is buzzing with contests, bake sales, bingo games and more to raise awareness of the incredible work being done in-field by Dignitas International and the Stephen Lewis Foundation. I think being involved in the Give a Day public service announcement shoot this month has helped to stir up interest in the legal community. I am amazed that all these legal professionals, despite their unbelievably demanding schedules found a way to stop in the middle of their day, and hike over to our offices for the shoot. And how our own Kim Eadie managed to coordinate the scheduling is, well mystifying!

To top it all off, Give a Day founder, Dr. Jane Philpott, Ida Mukuka of the Stephen Lewis Foundation and James Fraser of Diginitas International spoke at our firm launch event on Monday November 14th – so exciting to be part of Give a Day!

What’s a primary care doctor like me doing in a vertical response like this?

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If you’re involved in primary health care or global health, you may have heard that primary care is all about “horizontal” programs.  Those of us who live and breathe the wonders of primary care regularly cite the benefits of health care that is broad and comprehensive. We even point to evidence that shows how a focus on primary care results in better health outcomes at lower costs that is more equitable and accessible.

I believe in the benefits of primary care with all my heart, soul and mind.

So how can I simultaneously devote so much time and energy to something like GAD that seems clearly based on “vertical” interventions focused on a single issue like HIV?  What a good question!

Well, my first line of defence would declare that even a dedicated primary care doctor can recognize that there must sometimes be an exceptional emphasis on certain issues.  HIV is one of these. I remember former UNAIDS Director, Dr Peter Piot, who repeatedly declared the exceptional nature of HIV. That always resonated with me. HIV is exceptional because of the sheer numbers of people affected.  (By this measure, other illnesses such as tuberculosis would also qualify as exceptional.) HIV is exceptional because, more than almost any other infection, its spread is driven by the social determinants of health (economy, education, gender). Piot used to describe how HIV has “revealed the fault lines of society”.

But my other line of defence in any accusation about the validity of focusing on a vertical program comes from recognition that solving the problem of HIV in the world requires the very essence of what primary care is all about.

Addressing HIV requires public infrastructure and strong health systems along with broad-based educational and economic solutions.

Countries, regions and communities that have successfully reigned in the impact of HIV have done so through great public health systems with the aid of excellent primary care.

Gregg Gonsalves said this in Mexico in 2008:  Without continuing sustained focus on AIDS treatment, many millions of the poorest and most marginalized people in the world will die, period. And without breadth, not only will AIDS treatment be incomplete, but we will miss the greatest opportunity in history to build functioning health systems in some of the poorest countries of the world.

Finally, the organizations to which GAD recommends donations (Stephen Lewis Foundation and Dignitas International), do their remarkable work for people affected by HIV at the community level using the very principles on which primary care depends (including engaged communities and patient-centered care).

So I will continue to advocate on behalf of those affect by HIV. I will continue to ask everyone to give a day’s pay on World AIDS Day (December 1) in response to the exceptional issue of HIV.

As we address HIV we must use the principles of primary care to build the public health capacity that will have lasting impact on the communities most severely affected by this scourge.

What do you think? If you believe in primary care, will you join me in recognizing World AIDS Day by giving one day’s pay to one of GAD’s recommended recipients?

And while you’re at it, here’s how you can help now!

  1. Join us in giving one day’s pay on World AIDS Day, December 1!
  2. Share this. Tweet this.
  3. Follow us on Twitter.
  4. Like us on Facebook.
  5. Join our mailing list.
  6. Engage your community or workplace in a GAD campaign.
  7. Plan a harambee.
  8. Leave us a comment, a question or a note of encouragement.

New Legal Community Video to Support Give a Day

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What would you do if you saw colleagues you admire, working towards a world without AIDS? Would you create a plan to encourage even more people to join in?

The legal community has done just that, and we couldn’t be more pleased with the end result.

Some members of our Legal Committee got together and came up with a brilliant idea to create a campaign resource that could be shared across the legal community.

They asked some friends to help, and worked collaboratively to find a way to bring some incredibly busy people to the same place on the same day.

Next they needed some music to help set the scene, which they found, courtesy of Madagascar Slim.

And what is the result? A wonderful new video in support of the Give a Day campaign, created by law firms working together to challenge their colleagues to join them in giving a day’s pay.

Have a look here.

Once again, we are inspired by the leadership and generosity of the legal community, and we thank them for all they do.

World AIDS Day is on December 1. Will you give a day?