It's better to light a candle than to curse the darkness

Information on the competition will be available beginning July 21, 2003, at
www.advocacydays.org. The U.S. national competition is part of a global
campaign organized by the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance (EAA), a broad new
network for international cooperation in advocacy in HIV/AIDS and global
trade.

More than 85 churches and church-related organizations worldwide - including
eight in the United States -- have joined the Alliance by committing
themselves to "speak out with one voice against injustice; to confront
structures of power, practices and attitudes which deprive human beings of
dignity, and to offer alternative visions based on the Gospel."

"The global poster competition is a dynamic and creative opportunity to
learn and mobilize in the fight against HIV/AIDS-with a special focus on the
hurt caused by stigma and discrimination," said Heather Nolen, staff of the
humanitarian agency Church World Service and a member of the EAA's National
Steering Committee for the United States.

"This is a very important time for the kickoff of our campaign," she said.
"Congress will begin deciding this month whether to appropriate the actual
dollars that will make the difference in helping to halt the pandemic. We
need $3.5 billion now to fund the U.S. response to AIDS, TB, and
malaria-three diseases that killed 6 million people globally last year."

HIV is not a virus that happens to "someone else" or to other communities -
it is present everywhere in the world, including the United States. Stigma
and discrimination contribute to the spread of HIV and compound the
suffering of those who are living with HIV and their loved ones. Silence
about HIV/AIDS has perpetuated ignorance about the facts, risky behavior and
death.

Peter Piot, Director of UNAIDS has said, "HIV/AIDS-related stigma comes from
the powerful combination of shame and fear - shame because sex or drug
injection that transmit HIV are surrounded by taboo and moral judgment, and
fear because AIDS is relatively new, and considered deadly. Responding to
AIDS with blame, or abuse towards people living with AIDS, simply forces the
epidemic underground, creating ideal conditions for HIV to spread. The only
way of making progress against the epidemic is to replace shame with
solidarity and fear with hope."

Said Nolen, for Christian communities, silence and inaction are not options,
and people of faith around the world are speaking out by participating in
the competition.

Compassion and changed attitudes are at the heart of the competition, which
is designed to be a vehicle for opening dialogue among persons and groups of
all ages, especially those who may not normally be engaged in discussions
about HIV/AIDS. Posters will be created in churches, church school classes,
camps, youth groups, women's groups, and other church or community groups.

"We're taking the cause of HIV/AIDS to the community level, involving youth
and young adults in making a difference through honest dialogue and art,"
commented Mike Schuenemeyer, a minister with the United Church of Christ and
member of the EAA's National Steering Committee for the U.S.

The EAA National Steering Committee for the U.S. is comprised of the
following organizations: Church World Service, Council of Religious AIDS
Networks, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) / United Church of Christ,
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Lutheran World Relief, National
Episcopal AIDS Coalition, Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc.

An initial selection of posters will be displayed on December 1, 2003, World
AIDS Day, at the United Nations in New York City. A final selection will be
announced and displayed during Ecumenical Advocacy Days for Global Peace
with Justice, March 5-8, 2004, in Washington, D.C.

For more information, contact:
Heather Nolen, Church World Service: 202-270-6851
Mike Schuenemeyer, United Church of Christ: 216-736-3217