Long may they live-garland

A celebratory banner to commemorate and save children’s lives.

There are still 1.8 million children with HIV worldwide. Every 6 minutes, a parent somewhere in the world loses their child to AIDS. This is entirely preventable because we have the knowledge and medication to defeat AIDS. Just one pill a day can prevent a child from dying of AIDS. However, almost half of the children with HIV do not receive medication. Poverty, lack of education, and living in remote areas are the main reasons why four out of five of these children do not reach their fifth birthday. We wanted to create a positive campaign, so we searched for a way to raise awareness for a significant issue far away in Africa in the Netherlands, and we succeeded. We developed an awareness campaign with a fundraising element, starting with the insight that milestones of children in the Netherlands are celebrated grandly and exuberantly. Particularly, birthdays are moments for big celebrations. A child’s life is indeed something beautiful and extraordinary to commemorate. With the ‘Long May They Live’ banner designed by Bas Kosters, we can celebrate the birthdays of children here in a grand and exuberant manner while extending the lives of children with HIV. With the proceeds from a single banner, Aidsfonds can find, test, and treat a child with HIV. The ‘Long May They Live’ banner was very well received and featured in 25 print publications, 13 online publications, 2 radio and television spots, and 51 social media posts. Goal achieved, and as a pleasant side effect, thousands of people ordered the banner.