Hi all
The Oxford Stop AIDS Society has been working with 7 other student groups during the past few months to plan a series of events for World AIDS Day… Below (and attached as a PDF) is our “program” for the week so far. If you’re nearby Oxford and would like to attend any of the events, please do come along! Feel free to email me (alissa.caron@exeter.ox.ac.uk) with any questions… Thanks

World AIDS Week 2007: 25 November – 30 November (8th Week)

The Oxford World AIDS Week ‘07 Coalition invite you to a week of events to commemorate the annual World AIDS Day (1st December) and impact of HIV/AIDS in the UK and worldwide!

Sunday, 25 November (11 AM - 4PM, outside the Sheldonian Theatre on Broad Street)
Sign an action card to petition the UK government about access to HIV treatment. Look for the caged pills and government cronies with dollar signs!

Monday, 26 November (7:30 – 9:30 PM, Saskatchewan Room at Exeter College)
Hear DPhil students discuss their research on the interconnections between AIDS and development.

Tuesday 27 November (7:30 pm – 9:30 PM, Oxford Union)
Hear a debate by expert speakers from London about the rights of asylum seekers, migrants, and refugees in the UK to treatment access! Suggested £1 donation to support our charities (see below).

Wednesday, 28 November (7-10 PM, venue to be announced shortly online – see below)
Join us for a benefit concert to support our charities. Acts include troops of salsa, gumboot, and bollywood dancers, your favorite a capella groups, a samba band and top-notch singers…Entry is only £2, with yummy drinks and snacks also for sale!

Thursday, 29 November (8 - 10 PM, Old Refectory at Wadham College)
Watch “Pills, Profits, Protest” a fascinating documentary about grassroots AIDS activists, followed by a discussion led by Christian Aid.

Friday, 30 November (6-7 PM, Green College garden; rain location: Observatory/Bar)
Attend and participate in a reflective memorial service on the eve of World AIDS Day.

Help us continue to raise funds for our charities at your college’s end-of-term bop!

Our Charities
This year, our coalition is supporting two worthy charity organizations:

Milana is a network based in Bangalore, India providing counseling, nutritional, educational and economic support and home-based care to people living with HIV and their families.

Vumani trains poor people living with HIV in Durban, South Africa to grow their own organic vegetables as part of a continuum of HIV treatment, care and support services.

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The Global HIV/AIDS Pandemic: A Critical Health and Human Rights Issue

According to UNAIDS, 2.9 million people died of AIDS-related illnesses and 4.3 million people were infected with HIV in 2006 alone. About 40 million people are living with HIV around the globe. Young people like us bear the brunt of this pandemic, as over half of all new infections occur in people aged 15-24.

The Other Four

Today, HIV is a preventable and treatable illness. Although advances in medical technology have created powerful new antiretroviral drugs (ART) that prolong the lives of HIV-positive individuals, for every one person who receives treatment, FOUR more around the world do not.

Although the current efforts of developed countries (including the UK) to fund treatment have made some improvements – between 2001 and 2005, the number of people in low- and middle-income countries receiving treatment increased from 240,000 to 1.3 million - millions of others have not been so fortunate and will die without access to therapy. While most live in developing countries - where people not only need HIV drugs but access to basic health care services as well – even in the UK some individuals are denied treatment because of their legal status.

As privileged, empowered and educated young people in the UK, we need to do everything we can to stop the devastation caused by AIDS at home and abroad!

What YOU Can Do

Attend our events during World AIDS Week, but don’t stop there!

In 2005, G8 leaders set a target of universal access to treatment for all people living with HIV by 2010. Nearing the end of 2007, these goals are far from achieved. The Stop AIDS Campaign and many other groups have been putting pressure on the UK government ever since to meet its promises.

Visit www.stopaidssocieties.org.uk for more on the national campaign. E-mail stopaids-subscribe@maillist.ox.ac.uk to join the Oxford Stop AIDS group!

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