6,000 Challenge

Take the 6,000 Challenge This Fall

World Vision’s theme for World AIDS Day is 6,000 Reasons because 6,000 children will lose a parent because of AIDS each and every day.

We invite your campus to respond by taking the 6,000 Challenge – a campaign throughout the Fall to be completed by December 1, World AIDS Day. Through this challenge, campuses all across the nation will not just create awareness about global AIDS, but will put that awareness into action. Each campus that meets this challenge will be invited to send one delegate to Washington, DC for free to advocate government leaders in a national lobby day. Beginning now, we challenge your campus to do the following by World AIDS Day:

• Create a visual representation of the 6,000 children who are orphaned every day because of AIDS and join or host a Global Vigil in their honor on the week of World AIDS Day.
• Collect 6,000 signatures (download here) from your campus, surrounding churches, and community to advocate Congress to reauthorize the Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief with 10% of funding to support children affected by AIDS. (Click here for tips on ways to advocate.)
• Raise $6,000 from your community for prevention, care, and advocacy programs within World Vision’s Hope Initiative and to help host the national lobby day on behalf of children orphaned because of AIDS.

This is a big challenge, but if campuses all across the country join together it can also have big results. If you are up for the 6,000 Challenge you will need to start now! Begin collecting signatures for our advocacy campaign to reauthorize the Global AIDS Bill; begin raising money for World Vision’s comprehensive Hope Initiative; and be sure to order your free resources for your campus World AIDS Day activities by the October 25 deadline.

Get Started - Order FREE Resources by NOV. 2

Six thousand is, admittedly, a large number, but it is not insurmountable. Part of AoA’s Challenge is for each campus to develop a creative representation of this number to display on your campus. To help, we are providing campuses with 6,000 free “Lives Are at Stake” pictures of orphans and vulnerable children – but in order to serve every campus’ needs, we need you to order these resources by October 25! You can then creatively display these however you wish or come up with other ideas for representing 6,000 children. In addition, we will also be sending free digital posters you can print and post around campus, as well as helpful tips and ideas leading up to World AIDS Day.

To get started, just e-mail actingonaids@worldvision.org with the following information by November 2:

Campus Name and Address
Student Contact and Phone Number
Shipping Address
Will your group join the global vigil?
Does your group plan to raise $6,000 and collect 6,000 signatures?

Remember World AIDS Day is only the END of this campaign – so begin using different activities NOW to raise resources and collect advocacy signatures to help communities most affected by AIDS!

You can also get started on the planning by joining our WORLD AIDS DAY PLANNING GROUP on FACEBOOK.

Advocacy Resources to Help Reauthorize Global AIDS Funding

The Global AIDS Bill will expire this year, and we urgently need your support to ensure quick reauthorization. The president has proposed doubling global AIDS funding over the next five years, but we need your help to encourage Congress to reauthorize this bill and prioritize funds for orphans and vulnerable children. Make a difference by collecting 6,000 signatures from your campus, churches, families, and communities between now and World AIDS Day.

To help you get started, find out “10 Ways to Advocate.” And, of course, you can’t get started without downloading our 6,000 Challenge petition. If you are up for the 6,000 Challenge, you will need to start now!

Click here to download a copy of the advocacy petition now! (right-click, "Save Target As" to download.)

Fundraising to support World Vision's Hope Initiative

The money you raise will go toward World Vision's Hope Initiative, a holistic response through prevention, care, and advocacy programs. World Vision’s Hope Initiative is focused on:

• Prevention of the disease, with education particularly aimed at children 5 to 15
• Care for people infected and affected by AIDS, especially orphans and vulnerable children
• Advocacy on behalf of those affected by AIDS

For more information on how these resources will be used, please visit our Hope Initiative webpage.

Ways to achieve the goal

This isn't a tough challenge to meet, if you start now. Use national "Do You See Orange?" week (September 24-28, 2007) or the national day for the Broken Bread Poverty Meal (October 16, 2007) to organize your campus to raise funds and canvas the community for signatures.

Your campus may have fewer than 6,000 students, so how will you get signatures? Go out into the community! Go to churches, local businesses, grocery stores, etc., to ask people to sign the petition. It takes time, but it is an achievable goal!

If you plan to take the challenge, e-mail us at actingonaids@worldvision.org to let us know.