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AIDS Awareness Week

“AIDS Awareness Week is a week, the last in November, when extra effort is made to raise AIDS awareness” It ends with World AIDs Day, which takes place on December 1st.

HISTORY

The first AIDS Awareness Week took place in San Francisco with a goal of educating staff and students from San Francisco Community College about AIDS. This goal involves informing people about causes, effects, and symptoms of AIDS, as well as prevention methods. (Bernstien)

Spreading awareness about AIDS also began to take place in other locations. In 2002, the Canadian Public Health Association (CPHA) led a bilingual campaign for their awareness week from November 24-December 1, 2002. This campaign was centered on ending the stigma and discrimination against people who have HIV/AIDS. They also worked to inform people about preventative care against HIV. In addition, they provided the community with free resources and items to further help spread awareness to others. (Dafoe)

“Nation Aboriginal AIDS Awareness Week has been extant in Canada from at least 2014.” It began in Vancouver, but now it takes place all throughout Canada. Aboriginal AIDS Awareness week begins on World AIDS Day, December 1st, and last until December 5th. “In 1991 the US President declared, in Proclamation 6305, that June 10–16 was to be Paediatric Aids Awareness Week.” At this time over 157, 525 people had AIDS in the United States. About 2,734 of these people were children 13 years old and younger. (Congress)

GOALS

The goal of Aboriginal AIDS Awareness Week is getting to zero. Despite different methods used by aboriginal communities to try to decrease the prevalence of AIDS, populations like the First Nation tribes in Saskatchewan in Canada, have about 3.5 times more cases of AIDS than other areas in Canada, as well as higher than most third world countries. (Hamilton)

World AIDS Day was developed to bring awareness to the issue of AIDS in countries all around the globe and recognize the success and the steady decrease in AIDS diagnoses throughout the years. (lever/wainberg 2015) UNAIDS believes solutions need to be long-term, rather than short-term responses. (2011 report) Therefore, the goal is to look at prevention of HIV as well and World AIDS Day is a time to emphasize this and support people with AIDS, even though people are living with AIDS year-round. It is also a time to honor the people who lost their lives due to AIDS. (world aids day)

ORGANIZATIONS INVOLVED (Narine)

All Nations Hope AIDS Network – Saskatchewan in Canada

Canadian Aboriginal AIDS Network (CAAN) – Vancouver, British Columbia

National Aboriginal Health Organization

Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)