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The annual International AIDS Candlelight Memorial, a program of the Global Health Council, is one of the largest and oldest grassroots mobilization campaigns for HIV/AIDS awareness in the world. The Candlelight Memorial occurs on the third Sunday of every May and is led by volunteer coordinators who host memorials for their communities worldwide. Now in its 24th year, the Candlelight is meant to honor all those who have been affected by the AIDS pandemic.

But the Candlelight is much more than just a memorial. It’s also an opportunity to educate about HIV/AIDS, influence local and national policy makers, and create community dialogue about prevention, care, and treatment for the disease. It’s an occasion for coordinators to improve their community mobilization skills, partner with other organizations and professionals in their field, and find unity within a global coalition of AIDS activists.

In 2006, over 900 Candlelight coordinators planned memorials in 110 countries, reaching tens of thousands of people. The Global Health Council works with international partners to recruit and counsel community Candlelight coordinators. The Candlelight began in 1983 in the United States, at a time when little was known about HIV. Today, an estimated 25 million people have died as a result of AIDS and 40 million are currently estimated to be infected with the disease.

Learn more: www.candlelightmemorial.org

PMC Press Release
January 22, 2007

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia - Save the Children Norway, with funds from the Norwegian government, has announced that it will provide Population Media Center (PMC) with $2.4 million for a four-year, social content radio serial drama project in Ethiopia.

The drama will be created using the Sabido methodology, a highly effective entertainment education technique that PMC has implemented in thirteen countries worldwide. The serial drama will address issues relating to reproductive health. The project also involves production of a radio talk show for youth with phone ins from listeners; production of various print material on reproductive health; and capacity building programs for journalists, playwrights, religious leaders, women leaders, youth associations, and reproductive health professionals. In addition, the project includes specialized activities for Ethiopia’s Afar and Somali Regions focused on eradicating female genital mutilation. The project will include extensive monitoring and evaluation.

This project follows a series of projects by PMC in Ethiopia . In 2004, PMC completed a project that included radio serial dramas in the major languages, Amharic (257 episodes) and Oromiffa (140 episodes). The programs addressed issues of reproductive health and women’s status, including HIV/AIDS, family planning, marriage by abduction, education of daughters, spousal communication and related issues. Approximately half of the population of Ethiopia listened to one of PMC’s radio dramas; this equates to nearly 40 million listeners. After just two and half years of broadcasting, the resulting behavior change was dramatic. For example, demand for contraceptives increased by 157%, and male listeners sought HIV tests at four times the rate of non-listeners, while female listeners sought testing at three times the rate of non-listeners.

The funding provided by Save the Children Norway will help PMC to expand upon these programs in Ethiopia and to educate millions about the importance of family planning, HIV/AIDS prevention, and other related issues.

More about PMC can be found at www.populationmedia.org
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Contact
Katie Elmore
Development and Communications Manager
Tel: 802-985-8156 ext. 205
elmore@populationmedia.org

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The Population Media Center ( PMC ) is an international nonprofit organization headquartered in Shelburne, Vermont. PMC works worldwide to bring about stabilization of human population numbers at a level that can be sustained by the world’s natural resources and to lessen the harmful impact of humanity on the earth’s environment. PMC uses entertainment broadcasting to change cultural attitudes and individual behavior with regard to health and social issues in various developing countries.

The Gibbs Studios Web site has gone red in honor of World AIDS Day.