From Salesian Missions

(ANS – New Rochelle) – Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco, joins humanitarian organizations and countries around the globe in honoring World AIDS Day celebrated each year on Dec. 1. The day is held to honor AIDS victims and focuses on prevention and treatment issues surrounding HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) and AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome).

World AIDS Day originated at the 1988 World Summit of Ministers of Health on Programs for AIDS Prevention. Every year since then, United Nations agencies, governments and civil society join together to campaign around specific themes related to AIDS.

This year’s theme “Let Communities Lead” focuses on the organizations of communities living with, at risk of, or affected by HIV and that they are the front line of progress in the HIV response. U.N. AIDS noted, “Communities connect people with person-centered public health services, build trust, innovate, monitor implementation of policies and services, and hold providers accountable.”

There are concerns that communities are being held back in their response because of funding shortages, policy and regulatory hurdles, capacity constraints, and crackdowns on civil society and on the human rights of marginalized communities. The goal is to clear these hurdles so communities can move forward in the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS.

On the U.N. AIDS website, Winnie Byanyima, executive director, explained, “The end of AIDS is possible, it is within our grasp. To follow the path that ends AIDS, the world needs to let communities lead.”

Salesian missionaries offer more than 150 medical clinics and hospitals around the globe that handle a wide range of medical care needs and are mostly in rural areas. HIV/AIDS prevention and testing programs are vital components of Salesian health care initiatives in Africa.

“The work of Salesian missionaries around the globe goes beyond education to ensure the well-being of our students,” said Father Timothy Ploch, interim director of Salesian Missions. “We aim to serve the whole person by making sure that basic needs like health and nutrition are met in addition to other social service needs. Medical programs, particularly those focused on the treatment of HIV/AIDS, ensure that those who are living in poverty still have access to the medical care they need even when they cannot afford to pay for it.”

On World AIDS Day 2023, Salesian Missions is proud to highlight programs that provide medical care and other critical HIV/AIDS services around the globe.