The initiative was deemed necessary for the following reasons: first, to provide the required social setting for dialogue on issues related to HIV/AIDS with those who are affected; second, to allow for the expansion of the national response by involving individuals whose representation has, until now, not been fully recognized (such as parents who are HIV-negative but have nursed an adult child who is HIV-positive, or families wherein one of the partners is HIV-negative); third, to give a human face and voice to the current statistics of HIV/AIDS; fourth, to facilitate the acceptance of the presence of HIV/AIDS in the community; and fifth, to improve the economic status of those living with and affected by HIV/AIDS.
