October 1997

Give Children Hope in a World with AIDS

The ninth World AIDS Day observance will be on December 1, 1997. The theme, “Give Children Hope in a World with AIDS,” will frame the activities for the day. World AIDS Day, which falls in the first week of Advent, is an opportunity to bring the community together in the common recognition of what AIDS has done and what many are doing about it.

Through the creation of broader awareness and involvement in World AIDS Day activities, the community may be more willing to becoming involved in on-going AIDS ministry, service and prevention programs.

This year’s World AIDS Day theme challenges us to examine the long-term repercussions of the pandemic in our lives and in the world as a whole. In 1996, 400,000 children under the age of 15 became infected with HIV. Some 40 percent of the more than 23 million people living with AIDS are women.

President Clinton observed, “As this disease infects our children, it strikes at the future of our nation and our world. We must ensure that those already infected are fully cared for and educate those not infected so that they may protect themselves.”

UN-AIDS suggests that the World AIDS Day theme gives us an opportunity (1) to contemplate the long-term effects of AIDS; (2) recognizes that everyone can do something about the pandemic through prevention, education, and compassion, and (3) emphasizes the hope of finding the means to prevent and cure HIV/AIDS in the ultimate prospect of minimizing the impact of the epidemic on children, their families, and their communities.

Among the activities you can do for this day:

  • Hold a candlelight vigil for those who have died
  • Ring the parish church bell 17 times at 2 pm on World AIDS Day to commemorate the 17th year of the epidemic
  • Display Quilts from the NAMES Project in your church
  • Hold a children’s art display on the theme: Children In the World with AIDS
  • Sponsor an interfaith service of healing and hope
  • Sponsor a parent and youth education session about AIDS/HIV
  • Work on a service project with a local AIDS service organization
  • Collect signatures for the “Council Call” approved by the past two General Conventions

For more information on World AIDS Day and a free Resource Book, contact:

American Association for World Health
1825 K Street Suite 1208
Washington, DC 20006
202.466.5883

For liturgical resources, NEAC suggests the AIDS Ministries of Connecticut guide, Planning an AIDS Healing Service. Cost $5, plus shipping and handling.

AIDS Ministry Program of Connecticut
230-A Blue Hills Avenue
Hartford, CT 06112
860.525.5955