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The International AIDS Candlelight Memorial Campaign, a program of the Global Health Council, is a six-month mobilization project that encourages communities and individuals around the world to get involved in HIV/AIDS work by participating in a world-wide memorial that takes place every year on the third Sunday of May. The Global Health Council provides all registered communities with the framework to effectively organize a Memorial in their communities.

The International AIDS Candlelight Memorial Campaign involves all sectors of the local community in the fight against HIV/AIDS. From the beginning of this movement, the Memorial has helped communities have 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.

On Sunday, 16 May 2004, thousands of communities around the world will come together in solidarity to light candles and remember those who have been impacted by HIV/AIDS. Local observances are coordinated by organizations, individuals, governments, and faith based communities. The organizing group is considered "Local Candlelight Coordinators" and receives all the necessary tools, including the official poster and the Coordinator's Manual, to help them produce an effective Candlelight observance for their community.

Each year, Memorials take place in over 1500 communities in more than 85 countries. The International AIDS Candlelight Memorial has become the largest grassroots AIDS event in the world.

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 framework 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.

2004 Theme

This year, a two-year theme is selected that focuses on remembering those who have been touched by HIV/AIDS and keeping these memories alive through collective action.

The goal of this year's theme is to encourage communities to incorporate advocacy activities that extend beyond the official candlelight event. It is an opportunity to discuss the impact of HIV/AIDS within the community as well as how your community will address issues such as prevention, care, treatment, and education of the disease. This two year commitment serves to strengthen ties within the community and empower individuals to take action toward changing the face of HIV/AIDS.