28th International AIDS Candlelight Memorial on May 15! ~ My Opinion

In line with the 28th International AIDS Candlelight Memorial there will be a candle lighting activity and a yoga session on May 15 at the Glorietta 3 Park in Ayala, Makati City from 3:30PM to 7PM.

The yoga activity in partner with the annual candlelight event for HIV/AIDS entitled Yoga for Life: Touching Lives, will be supported by Yoga instructors such as Roland dela Cruz, Jeannie Javelosa, Tesa Celdran, Marilen Elizalde, Marc Carlos, Lex Bonife and Rebecca de Villa. It encourages participants of the activity to live a healthy and well life, inner peace, and self empowerment especially the advocates of HIV/AIDS awareness and those living with AIDS. For those who want to participate must bring extra clothes and mats for the yoga session.

As March 2011, the number of reported cases of HIV/AIDS in the Philippines grew by 172 which now leads to 7, 469 total cases in the country. Right now based on the reports gathered by UNAIDS, there are around 33.3 million of people living with HIV around the world, and every day there are almost 7, 100 new cases every day.

UNAIDS, Department of Health (DOH), Philippine National AIDS Council (PNAC) and other HIV/AIDS advocates and non-government organizations is advocating for testing and information drive. Information drive leads to awareness of everyone especially the youth who are very much vulnerable with the virus. Testing helps everyone to know if they’re affected or not. With this method it helps individuals to understand what they will do if they’re infected or not. For infected, they will undergo counseling that will help them know their rights, how they will take care of themselves and others. For non infected cases it will help them be more responsible next time to avoid unsafe sex, and other ways spreading and getting the virus.

UNAIDS comes with a campaign ZEROHIV it aims to educate everyone about the virus and how to stop the combat it. The said goal is part of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and to achieve MDG # 6 which is Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other diseases. Lastly on June 8-10, 2011 there will be a general assembly of world leaders to reaffirm their commitment in their actions to guide and sustain global AIDS response. In the 2011 UN General Assembly High Level Meeting in New York, USA, the assembly also aims to review progress and aims to accelerate it global solidarity and partnership to put halt on the stigma and discrimination among nations toward HIV/AIDS cases and innovative financing, technology transfer and the integration of AIDS and health and other services especially in times of financial fiscal austerity.

Be part of the 28th International AIDS Candlelight Memorial on May 15, here in the Philippines it will happen in Glorietta 3 Park in Ayala Center Makati City, and key areas like in Iloilo City will be having their candle light activity too. Join thousands of people from almost 75 countries joining hand remembering those who fought the virus, those is fighting right now and encourage everyone to take part of this global fight against HIV/AIDS.