Today is World AIDS Day 2009. Today we remember all the Americans who have died because of HIV / AIDS.
For those who are unfamiliar with World AIDS Day, here is some helpful facts to better understand the meaning of World AIDS Day.
From: http://www.worldaidsday.org/
About World AIDS Day
World AIDS Day is held on December 1 every year. It is an international day to raise awareness about HIV and AIDS around the world. The first World AIDS Day was held on December 1, 1988.
What is the theme for World AIDS Day 2009?
The UK theme for World AIDS Day 2009 focuses on the reality of HIV today.
The theme uses real people and real situations to present true accounts of how HIV affects people living in the UK, as well as dispelling myths, misinformation and confusion.
The slogan for World AIDS Day 2009 in the UK is “HIV: Reality”
The UK theme translates the World AIDS Campaign international World AIDS Day theme of “human rights and access to treatment” to our situation here in the UK. The international theme also relates closely to the philosophy of “Respect & Protect”
A full range of “HIV: Reality” resources are available from NAT from our online shop
What is NAT‘s role in World AIDS Day?
NAT has played a coordinating role for World AIDS Day in the UK since the first World AIDS Day in 1988. Each year we work with people living with HIV and other organisations to develop an appropriate theme for World AIDS Day, design posters and information resources and develop and manage the World AIDS Day website, the main source of information for World AIDS Day in the UK. Visit the NAT site:
Why do we wear red ribbons to mark World AIDS Day?
The red ribbon is worn as a sign of support for people living with HIV. Wearing a red ribbon for World AIDS Day is a simple and powerful way to show support and challenge the stigma and prejudice surrounding HIV and AIDS that prevents us from tackling HIV in the UK and internationally.
The red ribbon has been an international symbol of AIDS awareness since 1991. The Red Ribbon Project was created by the New York based organisation Visual AIDS, which brought together artists to create a symbol of support for the growing number of people living with HIV in the US.
The red ribbon is the result of collaboration between community artists who wanted to create a non-copyrighted image that could be used as an awareness-raising tool by people across the world.