The International Candlelight memorial is one of the oldest and largest grass root mobilization campaigns for HIV awareness in the World. The day started in 1983 and takes place every third Sunday in May.
It is a day when communities stand in solidarity with those who lost their dear ones to AIDS; provide a platform for advocacy and stimulate increased individual resolve and actions to fight the epidemic. It is the day when everyone is called upon to rise up to face the challenges encountered in the struggle. Uganda joined the rest of the world to commemorate the International Candlelight Day on 17th May 2020. The international theme was ‘We remember, we take action and we live beyond HIV’. The tailored national theme for Uganda was ‘Ending AIDS by 2030, Faith communities in action’. The commemoration events were coordinated by Uganda AIDS Commission and led by the Faith Based Organizations (FBO) Self Coordinating Entity through the Inter-Religious Council of Uganda. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the commemoration this year was largely ‘scientific’ marked through a one-month Media campaign with messages put out through various media channels. .
