HIV/AIDS has become the second-highest leading cause of death among adolescents globally. In China, according to China Center for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 570,000 people are living with HIV/AIDS as of October 2015. Of that number, 9,152 are youths aged between 15 and 24. Within the first 10 months of 2015 alone, there were around 90,000 new infections reported.
There is still much to do to educate the public about HIV/AIDS prevention, testing and treatment. Although HIV/AIDS is regarded a chronic disease and early treatment prolongs survival, social stigma and discrimination has been an obstacle for effective HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment. While infections among youth is rising at an alarming rate, the rising trend of infections among younger age groups coupled with lack of access to proper information adds to the challenge in HIV/AIDS prevention.
This year, the ShanghaiPRIDE, Q-Events and the Andaz Xintiandi, Shanghai bring yet another Red Ribbon Gala Dinner in conjunction with World AIDS Day to raise funds for the Shanghai Qingai Health Center.
Red Ribbon Gala Dinner is an annual fundraising event, held in conjunction with World AIDS Day, which involves the generous participation of corporations, sponsors, and individuals to raise funds and gather support for local HIV/AIDS service organizations to raise public awareness about prevention, tolerance, and acceptance as well as seek help for HIV/AIDS patients and their families.
Shanghai Qingai Health Center is a charity organization established by motivated college students focusing on youth sex health. The center serves the youth community in Shanghai by promoting safe sex measures, providing professional training, maintaining discussion forums, providing psychological intervention services, and providing counseling on and testing for Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) including HIV/AIDS. It aims to help the Shanghai youth community develop a positive life attitude, advocate a healthy lifestyle, and nurture a pleasant social environment.
ShanghaiPRIDE is an annual week-long festival that has been celebrating diversity since 2009. It is the first LGBTQ festival in Chinese mainland. It is organized entirely by volunteers with the support of businesses, individuals, and foreign consulates. The aim is to create awareness, promote visibility and tolerance for the LGBTQ community through various sports, cultural, and social activities. As a nonprofit festival, ShanghaiPRIDE supports local grassroots development and fundraises for projects related to diversity issues, which HIV/AIDS awareness and care is one of the core focuses. ShanghaiPRIDE promotes cross-cultural exchange locally as well as with LGBTQ festivals across Asia.
World AIDS Day is held annually on December 1 and is an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV/AIDS, show support for people living with the disease, and to commemorate people who have died.
World AIDS Day was the first ever global health day and has been held since 1988.
The gala will be held Thursday, December 1, at 6:30 pm. Tickets for the gala dinner are 900 yuan ($134) per seat and 8,000 yuan per table (10 seats). Andaz Xintiandi, Shanghai will serve a four-course dinner. During the event, there will be performances, keynote speeches and raffles.
To book individual tickets, please visit http://www.huodongxing.com/event/1349488662800 or contact Tao Lin (Q-Events) qevents@163.com for table bookings and sponsorships.
Through holding creative competition projects, Shanghai Qingai Health Center hopes to exploit the power of peer influence to popularize the idea of and disseminate proper information in HIV/AIDS prevention and HIV/AIDS testing, by means widely accepted by college students. The higher goal is to arm college students with the knowledge of HIV/AIDS to eliminate biasness and discrimination. Through these "HIV/AIDS prevention pioneers," the center hopes to convey a message of "early education, early prevention, early detection, early treatment" to Shanghai citizens. This will contribute to the visionary goal of ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic by 2030. All proceeds raised through the Red Ribbon Gala Dinner will be used on projects for HIV/AIDS prevention and anti-discrimination as mentioned above.
Global Times
Event details
Location: Andaz Xintiandi, Shanghai
Address: 88 Songshan Road
Date: December 1, 2016
Time: Cocktail reception 6:30 pm, dinner 7:30 pm, after-party 10 pm (optional)
Guests: 150-200 generous donors who are supportive to the cause of HIV/AIDS prevention and care services
Beneficiary: Shanghai Qingai Health Center
Program: Cocktails, four-course dinner, video presentations, speeches, performances, rafflle draws, silent auction
Attire: Cocktail/Business attire
Red Ribbon Gala Dinner held on December 1, 2015
Organizer of the event
Guests to the dinner
Guests to the dinner Photos: Courtesy of Q-Events
