Youth AIDS Day (Feb. 26th): Global Justice and GYCA Hold Youth Events Globally

[Guest guest]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 25, 2005

Healy 202-487-4956

http://www.studentaidsmarch.org/

Youth Around the World Hold Global Day of Action to End AIDS

New York, NY. On February 26, 2005, youth around the world will join in action

against the global HIV/AIDS pandemic. Global Justice, a US-based grassroots

student-activist organization has worked with the Global Youth Coalition on

HIV/AIDS (GYCA) to give the day—Youth AIDS Day--global reach. “With 8,000 people

dying every day of AIDS and 15,000 becoming newly infected with HIV, the only

hope we have for defeating the pandemic is to join together globally,” explained

Healy , coordinator of Global Justice’s Student Global AIDS Campaign.

“Youth are at the center of the disease and we will be at the forefront of

combating it.”

Youth AIDS Day events will take place in Bangladesh, Cameroon, Canada, Egypt,

Ghana, Guyana, India, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, Sudan,

Uganda, Tanzania, United Kingdom, the United States, and Zambia. The events vary

from mass marches to HIV/AIDS testing and counseling, and from letter writing

campaigns to awareness seminars. In Mansoura Egypt, the Mansoura Scientific

Student Association has planned a seminar discussion on how AIDS affects women

and girls. In Jaipur, India, representatives from various NGOs and youth leaders

will meet to discuss the mobilization of youths against AIDS in the state of

Rajasthan; they will draft a memorandum to send to the State government

detailing the current situation and the way forward on HIV/AIDS. In the United

States, students will converge in Washington D.C. for a Student March Against

AIDS, demanding that the government take decisive action to end HIV/AIDS.

“Our actions are designed both to raise awareness and provoke a response from

youth, but also to scale-up commitment to the fight against HIV/AIDS by

Governments, Community Leaders, and Families. It is time that youth take action

to demand an increase in youth-friendly HIV/AIDS information and services, and

that we work side-by-side with adults to make sure these demands are met,”

commented GYCA co-founder Joya Banerjee

More than half of the 5 million people worldwide infected each year by HIV are

youth aged 24 and younger. These new infections occur disproportionately among

young women. In many situations, youth lack the information, education, and

services necessary to protect themselves from infection. In addition, the vast

majority of people living with HIV/AIDS, including young people, do not have

access to life-saving treatment and care. “People do not have to contract HIV

and they do not have to die of AIDS,” commented . “We look at our

governments’ relative inaction and wonder what our future will hold It’s time to

stop treating HIV/AIDS as an accounting issue and start treating it as the moral

crisis it is.”

Youth AIDS Day marks the launch of a global movement of youth committed to

seeing an end to AIDS and committed to being at the forefront of making that

happen. “Youth AIDS day is an opportunity for youth around the globe to unite in

solidarity against a disease which deeply affects us all. We won’t stand quietly

watching our friends and our families are dying,” said the Global Youth

Coalition on AIDS regional focal point for Canada, Suk.

Youth AIDS Day is the first major joint campaign that GYCA has coordinated, and

is giving the this movement unprecedented momentum.

The Global Youth Coalition on AIDS (GYCA) grew out of discussions among youth

participants at the 2004 International AIDS Conference in Bangkok. GYCA aims to

strengthen and empower the youth movement against HIV/AIDS by networking youth

leaders and adult allies worldwide. Today, there are more than 530 members – all

from various youth-serving networks and organizations.

For interviews or further information:

Joya Banerjee – Co-founder of the Global Youth Coalition on HIV/AIDS

Joya.banerjee@...

212.297.5097

Healy – National Coordinator of Global Justice’s Student Global AIDS

Campaign

healythompson@...

202.487.4956

Regional events and contact information:

BANGLADESH

· Press Conference: Dhaka

Contact: Rishad Salikin, rishadaks@...

CAMEROON

· Advocacy and Awareness sessions reaching 102 schools, about 15,000

students and 500 teachers, community leaders and members of Parliament

Contact: Tcharbuahbokengo Nfinn, feedar97@...

CANADA

· Drop the Debt Letter Writing Campaign: Montreal, QC; Toronto, ON;

Guelph, ON; Saskatoon, SK

Contact: Suk, ds@..., 514-288-5119

EGYPT

· Day of Celebration for HIV/AIDS awareness

Contact: Meena Azer, meena_tharwat@...

· HIV/AIDS Seminar: Mansoura University

Contact: Wesam Tohlob, wesam_boosy@...

GHANA

· Radio Talk Show on HIV/AIDS (JOY 99.7 FM)

· Contact Karl , kokonte@...

GUYANA

· Letters of Hope and publicity through media: town

Contact: , guyanese@...

592-225-1116

INDIA

· Promotional Television Ad for Youth AIDS Day: Imphal West, Manipur

Contact: Ishwarchandra Haobam, cue_imp@...

· Discussion Forum: Manipur University

Contact: Vikram Laishram, vikramlaishram@...

· Meeting and Memorandum Development: Rajasthan

Contact: Ajay Jain, ajayjain79@...

· Awareness Meeting: Mumbai, Gujarat

Contact: Sanatomba Meitram, sanatomba@...

KENYA

· Discussion Forum: Goethe Institute, Nairobi Contact: Connie Walyaro,

conillia55@... , 0722 937102

· Puppetry, skits, songs, dances and verses " Vijana Tumechill, Rights

Hatujachill " ( " Sex-wise we are chilling/abstaining, but in our rights, we are

not " ): Mombasa

Contact: Jacqualine Kowa, jarequil1983@...

· March to the Provincial Administrative Office , Vigil/Solidarity

Demonstration & Panel Discussion: Mbita

Contact - k Nyabala

ericknyabala@..., +254 720 710 867

KYRGYZSTAN

· School/university visits for HIV/AIDS peer education and Feb. 28 –

discussions between youth and government representatives.

Contact: Katia Lukicheva, katia_lukicheva@...

NIGERIA

· Youth AIDS Awareness Consultation: Imo State Ahiazu Mbaise Council

Area

Contact: Kingsley Essomeonu - 234-(0)803-669-5163

· Conference on youths, HIV/AIDS, and globalization: Success Academy,

Kudirat Abiola Way, Radio Bus Stop, Alausa Ikeja, Lagos

Contact: Adebiyi Olugbenga :08023356925

· Radio Broadcast on HIV/AIDS Awareness: Minaj Systems Radio

Contact: Azubike Nwokoye, 234-8055340179

· Awareness publications in Nigerian Newspapers: nation-wide

Contact: Azubike Nwokoye, nwokoyeazubike@... , 234-8055340179

PAKISTAN

· Awareness Raising Walk: Quetta

Contact: Rana Gulzar, argulzar@... and Ahmad Ali, alibforu007@...

· Awareness Raising Seminar: Islamabad

Contact: Pervaiz Tufail, pervaiz22@...

· Capacity Building Seminar: Islamabad

Contact: Zahid Shahab Ahmad, shahab_zahid@...

· Documentary Film: Islamabad

Contact: Pervaiz Tufail, pervaiz22@...

· Networking and Linkages Building Conference: Islamabad

Contact: Pervaiz Tufail, pervaiz22@...

· Event: Advocacy Walk and Seminar: Pattoki District Kasur

Contact: Ms. Kulsoom Akhtar/Dr Haji Hanif, aidspak@...

· Capacity Building Seminar/Workshop: Rawalpindi

Contact: Ms. Huma Naqvi, nhuma5@...

SIERRA LEONE

· HIV/AIDS Awareness articles: Free Town

Contact: Sylvanus S. Murray, 232-22-295572, Cell: 232-76-666-083

SUDAN

· Document Signing Ceremony

Contact: Osman Mustafa Elnager, ameer1978@...

TANZANIA

· Youth Forum on HIV/AIDS: The Impact of HIV/AIDS to Tanzanian Young

People

Contact: Leonard Boniface, bonnylenny@... , +255.744.805226

UGANDA

· “Wake Up, It’s Time” Letter Writing Campaign: Mbarara

Contact: +25677897646

· “Wake Up, It’s Time”: Teleconference with students at University of

Toronto: Mbarara University of Science and Technology

Contact: : +25677897646

· “Wake Up, It’s Time”: Protest March and Voluntary Counseling and

Testing

Contact: +25677897646

· “Wake Up, It’s Time” Radio/TV Talk Show

Contact: +25677897646

Contact Lukwiya at penyamoi@...

UNITED KINGDOM

· Signature collection to ensure HIV/AIDS treatment, Global Fund

funding, debt cancellation and generic drug accessibility are on the G8 Agenda

Contact: Mila Gorokhovich – mila.gorokhovich@...

UNITED STATES

· Student March Against AIDS: White House - Washington, DC

Contact: 202-296-6727 x228 and contact@...

ZAMBIA

· Peaceful demonstration to the IMF and WorldBank

Contact Phiri, johnsphiri@... or Edford Mutuma, edfordm@...