CANDLELIGHT MEMORIAL DAY 2020
National Theme: Ending AIDS; Faith Communities in Action
Candlelight Day Memorial is an internationally recognized event that started in 1983 and it takes place every third Sunday in May. It is one of the oldest and largest grass root mobilization campaigns for HIV awareness in the world. 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. This is the day when everyone is called upon to rise up to face the challenges encountered in the fight against HIV and AIDS. Currently, Uganda like other countries is battling the COVID-19 pandemic, and the country is under lockdown, which affects the modality of commemorating the Candle Light Memorial Day for 2020. However, the long experience of commemorating Candlelight Memorial day provides an opportunity to reach out to the community with HIV and AIDS as well as COVID-19 messages.
This year, UAC will coordinate the Candlelight Memorial Day with the lead of the Faith Based Organizations, Self-Coordinating Entity (FBOs SCE). FBOs will be coordinated through their Secretariat the Inter Religious Council of Uganda (IRCU).  In Uganda, faith is a very powerful platform for community mobilization and effective promotion of programmes. According to the IRCU FBO inventory over 97% of Ugandans belong / subscribe to an organized religious denomination. The IRCU estimates that over 18million people attend and/ or participate in a religious activity every week starting from Friday to Sunday. In all communities countrywide, Religious leaders command a lot of respect from those they lead and their message is often taken as the ‘gospel truth.’ The IRCU platform has a lot of potential for bringing together all major Religious denominations for enhanced advocacy and action for HIV/AIDS. The FBOs have well established leadership structures, infrastructure, institutions, radios and TVs, personnel and the faithful. All this provides a huge opportunity to effectively pass over key messages on HIV/AIDS, accurately and consistently. UAC has in the past collaborated with IRCU and developed a Pastoral letter on HIV and AIDS that has been disseminated through various places of worship largely for behavior change communication.
Throughout the Candle Light commemoration this year, Stakeholders will be mobilized towards reflecting on their actions and accounting for their contribution towards the goal of the PFTI.
Theme of Candle Light Memorial 2020
The International theme for Candle Light Memorial 2020 is ‘We remember- We take action- We live beyond HIV’.  Uganda will customize this to the National theme: ‘Ending AIDS: Faith Communities in Action’.  Candlelight memorial is therefore an opportunity to reinvigorate inter- Religious action and collaboration by all communities towards accelerated HIV and AIDS response.

Objectives of the Candle-Light 2020
1.    To mobilize religious leaders country wide to spearhead the fight against stigma and discrimination of people living with HIV
2.    To promote the rights of people living with HIV during public health emergencies
3.    To stimulate leadership and all actors to take individual and collective responsibility to end new HIV infections.
Activities for Commemoration of the Candlelight memorial Event
The national commemoration of the 2020 Candlelight memorial day in Uganda will be marked over a long series of activities including Intensive Mass media campaign, Press briefing, Dedicated Virtual Prayers by all Religions, Intensified message dissemination through the Private Not for Profit Health (PNFP) facilities, Stakeholders engagement and the Candlelight Event. The focus of the commemoration will be intensified publicity of HIV/AIDS and COVID-19 prevention messages across the entire country.  UAC and IRCU will work closely with the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance (ICT& NG), the Media Self Coordinating Entity and Ministry of Health to ensure intensified communication and a lot of media hype through all forms; social media, print and electronic.

Candle Lighting Event (17th May 2020)
Observing social distance, a candlelight panel will be held on 17th May 2020 at a venue to be communicated. The event will be presided over by the Minister in-charge Office of the President and the representative of the Inter Religious Council of Uganda. A symbolic candle will be lit as a sign of solidarity with those who lost their dear ones to AIDS and as a call for renewed commitment to end the HIV and COVID-19 pandemics. The candle lighting will be followed by a panel discussion tackling key issues that pertain to prevention of the HIV and COVID 19 pandemics.  The panel will have one official from each of the following entities: Uganda AIDS Commission, IRCU, the Network of People living with HIV, Ministry of Health and UNAIDS. The Ministry of ICT & NG will collaborate with the media Self Coordinating entity for live streaming of the event in order to reach a wider community.