FXB Plan Global Event for World AIDS Orphans Day (May 7th)

[Guest guest]

Dear all,

The growing numbers of children orphaned or made vulnerable due to HIV/AIDS is

one of the greatest humanitarian, social and economic crises we face today.

Every 15 seconds, AIDS kills a child's mother or father. In countries where HIV

prevalence is highest, 15 to 20 percent of children under the age of 18 have

lost one or both parents to the disease.

The Association Francois-Xavier Bagnoud has created a global solidarity network

to protect the world's most vulnerable children. For the fourth year, FXB will

hold a World AIDS Orphans Day that highlights the needs and rights of the

children. This annual event is held on May 7. WAD 2005 helps focus the public's

attention on vulnerable and helpless children in distress by providing them with

the support of:

1) Mayors - guarantors of the Rights of the Child in their respective

municipalities – who can commit their cities to respect the rights of our most

vulnerable children. To date, thirty-four cities around the world are

commemorating this day.

2) Children and young people, who can contribute to the ideal future world they

wish to live in.

3) The media, who inform and raise public awareness.

The Association Francois-Xavier Bagnoud, in partnership with TakingITGlobal

(www.takingitglobal.org) and the African Regional Youth Initiative

(www.aryi.interconnection.org), have organized a global youth mobilization

effort to give voice and a platform for children and youth to address their

communities.

The Association Francois-Xavier Bagnoud stands at the forefront of the fight

against the AIDS pandemic – advocating for health

and human rights, implementing community-based projects that

empower caregivers, and providing materials and educational support to the

children most severely affected by HIV/AIDS.

Similarly, TakingITGlobal and the African Regional Youth Initiative are

dedicated to comprehensively addressing the needs and rights of young people.

Town Hall Meetings

Working with local youth groups, community-based NGOs, and local partnering

organizations, TakingITGlobal and the African Regional Youth Initiative have

organized town hall meetings in major cities around the world. These meetings

will take place in public places where communities will have the opportunity to

meet, discuss, and build upon local responses to assist children orphaned or

made vulnerable to HIV/AIDS.

The focus of the WAOD 2005 and town hall meetings is on eliminating school fees

to facilitate access to education for orphans and vulnerable children.

Central to the town hall meetings is that they will be lead by children and

youth. A Children's Declaration highlighting their rights, needs, and concerns

will be developed by the children and youth prior to the meetings. These

declarations will then be presented at the meeting to officials from the local

government, United Nations agencies, and non-governmental and community-based

organizations. The declarations will later be collected, compiled and made

available for distribution to United Nations agencies,

non-governmental and governmental organizations, faith-based organizations,

business and medical communities, and the general public.

The town hall meetings will provide an opportunity for children and youth to

work alongside mayors and the community to build upon local strategies to

increase access to education and mitigate other impacts of HIV/AIDS upon

children.

For further information, or to participate/organize a town hall meeting in your

city, please e-mail Neema Mgana at info@... or Liz Livelli at

eliv.

You can also call +1 (215) 350 1895 in the United States or 011 27 72 6081870 in

South Africa. You can also access

information at http://www.worldorphansday.org.

Janet Feldman

E-mail: <kaippg@...>