Churches are encouraged to participate in annual HIV/AIDS observances four times a year: World AIDS Day – December 1, National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day – February 7, Black Church Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS – first week of March and National HIV Testing Day – June 27. The Statewide HIV/AIDS Church Outreach Advisory Board has assisted in developing HIV/AIDS church information kits to provide ideas on how to take part in these observances. Join the struggle to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS by downloading a church kit with information and resources on how your house of worship or organization can get involved. Feel free to share these church information kits with others who do not have access to the internet.

World AIDS Day (WAD) December 1, 2007 (click here to download a kit)

In 1988 the World Health Organization declared December 1 as the first World AIDS Day (WAD). Since, WAD has become one of the most successful world commemorative days and is celebrated by a diverse range of people all over the globe. Over the years the WAD Campaign has helped influence the international agenda around HIV and AIDS. (click here to link to their website http://www.unaids.org)

National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness & Information Day (NBHAAD) February 7, 2007 (click here to download a tip sheet)

An annual initiative created in 2001 by the Community Capacity Building Coalition to educate African Americans about the threat HIV/AIDS poses to them and its devastating effects on communities. The coalition is composed of the organizations: Concerned Black Men, Inc. of Philadelphia; The Mississippi Urban Research Center at Jackson State University; Health Watch Information and Promotion Service; the National Black Alcoholism and Addiction Council; and the National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS. (click here to link to their website http://www.blackaidsday.gov)

Black Church Week of Prayer (BCWP) First Week of March 4-10, 2007 (Click here to download a tip sheet)

Since 1989, The Black Church Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS has become the largest AIDS awareness program targeting the African American community with an estimated reach of 15,000 churches and over 200 million church members worldwide. The Week of Prayer begins on the first Sunday in March (6-12) and continues for seven days. (click here to link to their website http://www.balmingilead.org/programs)

National HIV Testing Day (NHTD) June 27, 2007 (click here to download a kit)

National HIV Testing Day is an annual campaign produced by the National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA-US) to encourage at-risk individuals to receive voluntary HIV counseling and testing. NHTD organizers reach out to communities at increased risk of HIV infection, including African American and Latino populations, both of which are disproportionately affected with HIV when compared to other racial/ethnic groups in the United States. (click here to link to their website http://www.napwa.org/hivtestinfo/)

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