DUSHANBE, May 4, 2009, Asia-Plus — An action to commemorate the lives of those lost and affected by HIV/AIDS will be held at the Opera and Ballet Theatre in Dushanbe on May 17.
The action is organized by the limited liability societies, Guli Surkh and Spin Plus (Community of People Living with HIV and Drug-addicted People), and a concert will be held on the sidelines of that action. Goodwill Ambassador for the Network of People Living with HIV in Tajikistan, Tahmina Niyozova, will open the concert, a source at the Opera and Ballet Theatre said.
The action organizers announced a drawing contest among senior school students ahead of the action and the best drawings featuring the HIV/AIDS stigma and discrimination subject will be put on display in the theatre hall and visitors will able to select the winners by themselves, the source said.
We will recall that the International AIDS Candlelight Memorial, which is one of the oldest and largest grassroots mobilization campaigns for HIV/AIDS awareness in the world, takes place every third Sunday in May. Started in 1983, the Candlelight Memorial is led by a coalition of some 1,200 community organizations in 115 countries hosting local memorials that honor the lost and raise social consciousness about the disease. The Candlelight is also much more than just a memorial. It provides opportunities for leadership development, policy advocacy, partnerships, and improvement of community mobilization skills and continues to serve as an important intervention for global solidarity, breaking down barriers, and giving hope to new generations.
