Tracey Wallace wants you to come out to support a battle against a disease that kills every 11 seconds.

She wants you to make a memory flag, a small piece of white cloth the size of a handkerchief, drawn on with felt markers, a message to mark your concern for the 8,000 people who die each day.

Mostly from Africa, the fallen victims leave behind schools of orphans in countries where the only social net is woven from the fingers of grandmothers.

The flags are part of a national campaign that will culminate in Toronto at the International AIDS Conference in mid-August.

A combined total of 8,000 flags will join there as eight communities each bring 1,000 flags to the conference.

Wallace has been collecting the flags since June, taking her blank white squares to parks, schools and music festivals to encourage people to personalize them.

She's inspired by first-hand knowledge of what HIV/AIDS does in the world's poorest countries.

'I lived in Africa for six or seven years and recognize the need for awareness There's millions of orphans.'

Of the 8,000 who die daily from AIDS, the vast majority, 75 per cent or 6,000 people, die in Africa. Wallace said the 25- to 35-year-old generation is the most likely to contract and die from AIDS.

The result is catastrophic.

Africa's general poverty means few countries have a social net capable of caring for the masses of AIDS orphans left behind. Fortunately, an orphan's extended family takes the place of government services.

'It has to,' said Wallace referring to the extended family, 'but it's putting a lot of pressure on grandmothers.'

Wallace spent her time in Africa working as a volunteer teacher, and saw first-hand the effects of AIDS.

'(AIDS) is something that started seeping into people's lives, into people I knew.'

But despite its prevalence, Wallace said many Africans have little understanding of the disease.

'There was still a lot of denial.'

Like others who have gone to Africa, Wallace said not enough people there understand how the disease is spread and avoided.

Marie Abbot, a 16-year-old Whitehorse activist also went to Africa and told the Star about it in July. She recounted her time there spent with AIDS orphans, some of whom had been sold as sex slaves when they were still children.

Abbot said some AIDS orphans were ostracized by their peers because of stigma surrounding the disease and confusion about how it was spread. Already missing their parents, the orphans were left friendless by peers afraid of contracting the disease.

Abbot said there are currently 15 million AIDS orphans who have lost one or both parents in Africa.

Wallace hopes concerned Whitehorse residents can make 8,000 personalized flags, representing the 8,000 people who die from AIDS each day. She started taking the small cloths and felt markers to area schools as early as May, and had a table at the Longest Days Street Fair tent in July.

The flags will be displayed in an art installation at Shipyards Park from today until Saturday.

At the time of the street fair, Wallace said she had around 1,000 flags done. When the flags are taken to the AIDS conference in Toronto later this month, she hopes to have many more.

Seven other communities across Canada are also collecting flags. Each community will bring 1,000 of its flags to Toronto to a total of 8,000.

Other communities participating in the project include Victoria, Kelowna, Calgary, Regina, Montreal, Kenora, Ont., Halifax, St. John's and Toronto.

The flag project, called Community Action on AIDS, is being done by a partnership between the non-profit organizations of VIDEA, ICAD and SOLID which have AIDS projects in Africa.Tracey Wallace wants you to come out to support a battle against a disease that kills every 11 seconds.

She wants you to make a memory flag, a small piece of white cloth the size of a handkerchief, drawn on with felt markers, a message to mark your concern for the 8,000 people who die each day.

Mostly from Africa, the fallen victims leave behind schools of orphans in countries where the only social net is woven from the fingers of grandmothers.

The flags are part of a national campaign that will culminate in Toronto at the International AIDS Conference in mid-August.

A combined total of 8,000 flags will join there as eight communities each bring 1,000 flags to the conference.

Wallace has been collecting the flags since June, taking her blank white squares to parks, schools and music festivals to encourage people to personalize them.

She's inspired by first-hand knowledge of what HIV/AIDS does in the world's poorest countries.

'I lived in Africa for six or seven years and recognize the need for awareness There's millions of orphans.'

Of the 8,000 who die daily from AIDS, the vast majority, 75 per cent or 6,000 people, die in Africa. Wallace said the 25- to 35-year-old generation is the most likely to contract and die from AIDS.

The result is catastrophic.

Africa's general poverty means few countries have a social net capable of caring for the masses of AIDS orphans left behind. Fortunately, an orphan's extended family takes the place of government services.

'It has to,' said Wallace referring to the extended family, 'but it's putting a lot of pressure on grandmothers.'

Wallace spent her time in Africa working as a volunteer teacher, and saw first-hand the effects of AIDS.

'(AIDS) is something that started seeping into people's lives, into people I knew.'

But despite its prevalence, Wallace said many Africans have little understanding of the disease.

'There was still a lot of denial.'

Like others who have gone to Africa, Wallace said not enough people there understand how the disease is spread and avoided.

Marie Abbot, a 16-year-old Whitehorse activist also went to Africa and told the Star about it in July. She recounted her time there spent with AIDS orphans, some of whom had been sold as sex slaves when they were still children.

Abbot said some AIDS orphans were ostracized by their peers because of stigma surrounding the disease and confusion about how it was spread. Already missing their parents, the orphans were left friendless by peers afraid of contracting the disease.

Abbot said there are currently 15 million AIDS orphans who have lost one or both parents in Africa.

Wallace hopes concerned Whitehorse residents can make 8,000 personalized flags, representing the 8,000 people who die from AIDS each day. She started taking the small cloths and felt markers to area schools as early as May, and had a table at the Longest Days Street Fair tent in July.

The flags will be displayed in an art installation at Shipyards Park from today until Saturday.

At the time of the street fair, Wallace said she had around 1,000 flags done. When the flags are taken to the AIDS conference in Toronto later this month, she hopes to have many more.

Seven other communities across Canada are also collecting flags. Each community will bring 1,000 of its flags to Toronto to a total of 8,000.

Other communities participating in the project include Victoria, Kelowna, Calgary, Regina, Montreal, Kenora, Ont., Halifax, St. John's and Toronto.

The flag project, called Community Action on AIDS, is being done by a partnership between the non-profit organizations of VIDEA, ICAD and SOLID which have AIDS projects in Africa.