World AIDS Day 2009
Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise.

An AIDS-Free World

This is the hope United Methodists have for women, children, men and elderly everywhere- to live freely from the affects of HIV/AIDS. As the fight against HIV/AIDS continues, United Methodists are encouraged to press forward and stop the spread of this deadly disease by creating awareness.

About 33 million people worldwide are HIV/AIDS infected, 2.7 million become newly infected each year and more than 25 million people have died of HIV/AIDS since 1981. In addition, more than 15 million children worldwide have lost one or both parents to HIV/AIDS. Sub-Saharan Africa remains at the center of this crisis with 22 million people affected with the HIV/AIDS virus.

Help us work toward and AIDS-free world by observing World AIDS Day on or near Dec. 1. Join millions of others in the fight against HIV/AIDS by taking the lead in your community and sharing important HIV/AIDS information. Every step United Methodists take gives one more person hope to live positively with HIV/AIDS.

New Resources

• HIV/AIDS Stories—These AIDS-related stories demonstrate how United Methodists and others support HIV/AIDS programs around the world. Read the stories below.

  Children Orphaned by AIDS Find Family in School By Judith Santiago

  Breaking the Silence By Judith Santiago

  Tales of Hope By Kalindi Thomas

  Truck Drivers Gets Tested for HIV By Judith Santiago

  Beyond Facts to Faces, Beyond Numbers to Names By Don Messer

• Working Toward an AIDS-Free World: An Educational Kit for United Methodist Churches—Combating the diseases of poverty by improving health globally is one of the four foci being addressed by the United Methodist denomination worldwide.

  As followers of Jesus Christ, United Methodists are called to address the AIDS pandemic in a comprehensive, effective way in local communities and around the globe. We can make a difference if we have the tools and resources. The United Methodist Church Global AIDS Fund Committee has developed this educational kit for use in local churches.

  ►Download

• Working Toward an AIDS-Free World - a United Methodist Global AIDS Fund Brochure—Use and share Working Toward and AIDS-Free World brochure and support global programs engaged in advocacy, education, prevention, health care and training in response to HIV/AIDS. Order your free copy today through Cokesbury.

  ►PDF (3pp, 266K)

• 52 Ways to Create an AIDS-Free World - Based on his experiences traveling and working as founder and Executive Director of the Center for the Church and Global AIDS, Donald E. Messer presents 52 ways people from all walks of life can make a difference in this important cause.

  ►Order 52 Ways to Create an AIDS-Free World

• Hope for an AIDS-Free World Photo Slide Show- Around the world, United Methodists are responding to the fight against HIV/AIDS. Through this photo slide show, hope for an AIDS-free world is tangent, as thousands of people across the globe receive medical treatment, education, learn preventative measures, and create community awareness to help those affected live free of the debilitating affects of HIV/AIDS.

  ►View Slideshow

• World AIDS Day Poster—Download, print and share this poster

  ►PDF (1pp, 937K)

• World AIDS Day 2009: Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise.—Download and present this Power Point slide with your congregation and collect a special offering for the United Methodist Global AIDS Fund.

  ►PPT (1pp, 2,769K )

• World AIDS Day 2009 New Church Bulletin Insert - Reaching Communities - Download the latest church bulletin about the United Methodist Global AIDS Fund-supported Dhaba Project, a program of the Methodist Public Health Center in Mursan, India. Several communities including 6,000 truck drivers are being educated about HIV/AIDS and are receiving pre- and post HIV testing, education on AIDS prevention, and counseling support services.

  ►PDF (1pp, 67K)

The Purpose

The purpose of World AIDS Day is to raise consciousness in the community about HIV/AIDS issues. This includes the need for support and understanding for people living with HIV/AIDS, and the need for the development of education and prevention initiatives.

World AIDS Day relates directly to the eight UN Millennium Goals to "Keep the Promise" to fight the sources of hunger and poverty in our world. To read more about the worldwide response to HIV/AIDS, administered through the UNAIDS, visit the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS.

Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise. And make a difference in your community.