Across sub-Saharan Africa, communities are rising to meet the challenges of the AIDS pandemic with extraordinary Acts of Courage, Ingenuity, Determination and Strength. There is an inspiring transformation taking place on the continent: grassroots organizations provide their expertise and leadership, break the stranglehold of silence and stigma, and supply essential health, educational and emotional support to people living with HIV and AIDS.

They can lead the way, but they cannot do it alone.

Dare to put the AIDS pandemic back on the agenda and re-ignite the concern of Canadians in your community by participating in the Dare Campaign.

Why Dare?

The AIDS pandemic still rages in sub-Saharan Africa. There is no cure and treatment reaches only a fraction of those who need it.

Canadians can show their solidarity with the Foundation’s partners by taking on dares and raising funds for the initiatives that are turning the tide of AIDS at community level.

It takes a great deal of courage to live openly with HIV. The women, men and children who are HIV-positive, battle stigma and discrimination in their own communities. These brave women, children and men are at the vanguard of social change. By their example of ‘positive living,’ they encourage others to get tested and seek medical and psychosocial support.

In the midst of the AIDS pandemic, the ingenuity of grassroots organizations is everywhere. It’s a library in a remote location to create a centre of community support. It’s the use of art, music and dance therapy to help grandmothers deal with their intense trauma and grief. It’s the construction of a brick-making factory to build new houses. Ingenuity at the frontlines continues to inspire new beginnings, resurrect fractured lives, and bring strength to those struggling to survive.

Young women face almost overwhelming challenges in the context of the AIDS pandemic. In the face of severe poverty, stigma, violence, and loss, they find the strength to go to school, learn a trade and raise their younger siblings. Theirs is a life of determination to survive and reclaim their futures.

Grassroots organizations are all about the power of community. In the midst of extreme poverty and limited resources, African grassroots organizations build programmes that are innovative, sustainable and tremendously effective. Their work represents the success of frontline responses and community expertise. Quite simply, they are the best hope for turning the tide of the pandemic in Africa.