back to top World AIDS Day
World AIDS Day is about increasing awareness, fighting stigma, improving education, mobilising resources and raising funds to better our response to HIV and AIDS. According to UNAIDS estimates, there are now more than 34 million people living with HIV. Started on 1st December 1988, World AIDS Day gives the world an opportunity to reflect on the epidemic and the response thereof. Please use information on this website to raise awareness. AVERT ran several campaigns to raise awareness around World AIDS Day 2012; you can help raise awareness too.
back to top Wear a Red Ribbon
AVERT displays the world's largest AIDS
Awareness Ribbon on World AIDS Day 2012
On World AIDS Day 2012, AVERT, in partnership with Standard Chartered Bank and its sponsorship of Liverpool Football Club, displayed the world's largest AIDS Awareness Ribbon at Anfield Stadium at halftime during the Liverpool versus Southampton match. We hope this iconic image of the 49m-long red ribbon will serve to raise awareness of HIV and AIDS across the globe and help to reduce stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV.
The world's largest ribbon was created in 2008 by renowned Indian HIV physician Dr Kutikuppala Surya Rao. As a leader in his field, he wanted to raise awareness of HIV to a wider audience in his native Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, where illiteracy is an issue. The ribbon provided the perfect opportunity to do that there and AVERT is very grateful to Dr Rao for allowing us to use the ribbon - so we can use its powerful image to further raise awareness of HIV.
We’re also very grateful to Standard Chartered and Liverpool Football Club. Each season the Premier League reaches about 212 territories and over 650 million homes with a cumulative global audience of 4.7 billion people. The alliance between Standard Chartered and Liverpool Football Club is an excellent example of how the popularity and reach of modern-day football can be used to change lives all over the world.
Wear a Red Ribbon on/around 1st December
2012
As an individual, you can wear a red ribbon to raise awareness. The red ribbon is an international symbol of AIDS awareness that is worn by people all year round and particularly around World AIDS Day to demonstrate care and concern about HIV and AIDS, and to remind others of the need for their support and commitment. The HIV and AIDS epidemic today is a reality in all continents around the world and it needs your response to end it.
The red ribbon started as a "grassroots" effort; as a result there is no one official AIDS ribbon manufacturer, and many people make their own. It's easily done - just use some ordinary red ribbon and a safety pin!
If you want to take your awareness raising a step further then try finding a local event to take part in. Around the world there are hundreds of activities taking place to mark World AIDS Day, including candle light vigils, art shows, marches and religious services. If you can't find anything in your area then why not organise an event yourself?
back to top AVERT's 2012 Theme is Awareness
Awareness Gets Us to Zero
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AVERT's World AIDS Day 2012 campaigns drew from our theme of 'Awareness'. We believe that awareness is crucial for the response to HIV and AIDS. After 30 years of the global response to HIV and AIDS, 2.5 million people still become infected with HIV each year and 2,400 young people are newly infected every day. These figures need to go down to zero. In addition, only 24% of young women and 36% of young men in low- and middle- income countries are knowledgeable about HIV transmission and prevention. These figures need to go up! The World Health Organisation declared that "between 2011-2015, World AIDS Days will have the theme of 'Getting to Zero: Zero new HIV infections. Zero discrimination. Zero AIDS-related deaths'". Avert realises that awareness is pivotal for the world to get to zero. To increase awareness of HIV and AIDS around the world, AVERT is marked World AIDS Day 2012, with a series of articles by guest writers. ‘Reflections on the Epidemic’ are the diverse and insightful viewpoints of global leaders, writers, experts, activists, physicians or people personally affected by HIV and AIDS, on the HIV epidemic and the world’s response to it. Our guest writers represent various countries, experiences and backgrounds from all over the world. Promote awareness by sharing these reflections with as many people as you can. You can also promote awareness by becoming an AVERT EDUCATOR this World AIDS Day and beyond. Simply Read & Share this AVERT Educator booklet with as many people as you can. World AIDS Day provides an opportunity for all of us - individuals, communities and political leaders - to raise awareness and to meet the challenge of getting to zero. AVERT will continue to raise awareness every day through the provision of education, advice and information on a global scale via this website (Avert.org) as well as supporting community projects in low-income countries. |
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back to top Support our AVERT's Work
Your support for HIV and AIDS work this World AIDS Day is important because:
- An estimated 14.8 million people need access to HIV/AIDS treatment. Only 54% of them are receiving it. This is still too low.
- 45 countries still restrict people living with HIV from travel and stay.
- Less than half of young men and women have correct knowledge about HIV.
- More than 2,400 young people become infected with HIV every day.
- Millions of people need better access to accurate HIV and AIDS education.
- 34 million people live with HIV/AIDS worldwide, there isn’t universal access to education and treatment, and stigma and discrimination is still a problem.
In addition to the educational website Avert.org, AVERT supports HIV and AIDS projects in some low-income countries where many of the people affected by HIV/AIDS are also dealing with poverty, stigma and poor healthcare systems. Our work tackles a range of issues including, education, treatment, and home-based care. The projects also aim to help children orphaned by HIV and AIDS and those who care for them.
You can support AVERT's work by making a donation today.
back to top Get Plugged In campaign
Empower young people to use technology as an HIV prevention and sex education tool
Lauched on World AIDS Day 2012,
the 'Get Plugged In' campaign aims to enrich young people's
use of technology as a sex education tool. More and more
young people are using different forms of technology -
social media, mobile technology, chat forums, etc - to
access information that will help them to protect their
sexual health, be clued up about HIV prevention, and share
this knowledge with their peers.
The campaign seeks to find out what young people think and review existing research in a bid to help organisations like us to use technology in the most effective way; and develop tools and forums for young people to share information with their friends.
We would like to thank all the young people who entered our 'Get Plugged In' infographic competition. Take a look at the winning infographic, which was published on our homepage on World AIDS Day, as well as other amazing infographics from the runners-up. You can also take part in this campaign by completing this survey so we can learn how young people access information about HIV and safe sex.
back to top World AIDS Day video: Universal Access
You need to install Adobe Flash player to view AVERT's videos. Click on the logo below to install Flash player.
Watch our video explaining why universal access to HIV prevention, treatment and care is the key to ending the global AIDS epidemic.
If you wish to watch an offline version of this video then you can download it in standard definition or high definition.
Where Next?
AVERT.org has more about:
Notes
*21 out of 25 countries
**26 out of 31 countries