“Together we are the solution”, the slogan for the International Candlelight Memorial 2009. It is particularly apt for the Candlelight Event-Series where a coalition of agencies working in the fields of SRH, HIV & AIDS, Sexuality and Youth Issues has come together to conduct events across Sri Lanka, leading up to World AIDS Day on December 1, 2009.
On the 17 May at the Candlelight Memorial conducted at the Infectious Diseases Hospital (IDH) in Colombo, the need for us to move beyond isolated events, and come together was clear. PLHIV in Sri Lanka require nutritional support, more comprehensive access to treatment, psycho-social support, economic rehabilitation and all other facets of ‘positive living’ that are currently unavailable to them. Together we are the solution, Together we can. This Candlelight Event-Series can form the basis of a campaign in terms of awareness and advocacy that can change the way PLHIV are perceived, and also challenge the stigma and discrimination faced by marginalised groups such as the LGBTIQ community and other MARPs in Sri Lanka.
The collaboration is facilitated through the National Youth Coalition of Sri Lanka (NYCSL), a youth organization focused on furthering the SRH rights of youth. Currently, the coalition of 15 organizations includes representation from Positive Hopes Alliance, Lanka + (PLHIV Support organizations), Salvation Army, EQUAL GROUND, Alcohol and Drug Information Centre (ADIC) , AIESEC, Save Lanka Kids, Beyond Borders, Companions on a Journey, The Youth committee of the Family Planning Association of Sri Lanka, National Youth Coalition Sri Lanka (NYCSL), PANOS, Plan International, World Vision and Women’s Support Group. It is hoped that more agencies will join as the event-series gathers momentum leading up to World AIDS Day.
The strength of the coalition of this nature lies not merely in resource mobilisation but rather in the possibility of a collective, unified voice.
NYCSL members also have experience with a similar initiative, Wake Up Pune which consisted of a multi-sectoral approach involving the NGO, corporate and educational sectors in Pune, India, which can be replicated in Sri Lanka.
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