What?

'Decemburns' are sideburns that you grow during the month of December to help bring awareness to HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa. The idea is to look silly enough to evoke the question "why do you look like that?", this will give you the opportunity to explain to your friends and family that women are disproportionately affected by this disease in Africa, and that men carry a disproportionate amount of the power to improve the situation. Also, to raise money to support good programs that work towards rectifying this imbalance and putting the brakes on HIV transmission.

Women are 2.5 times more likely than men to contract HIV. They are also twice as likely to contract a Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) from their partners' actions than from their own. There are a lot of things that men can do to help turn the tide of HIV/AIDS, but nothing is more important than taking responsibility for their role. We're growing our sideburns out as a way to bring some attention to these issues, and to demonstrate a willingness to upset these gender imbalances - trust me, we're not doing this to look good, because we sure as hell don't. Creepy is a much better word.

This year, we will be raising money for the Stephen Lewis Foundation

Cumulative total since 2009: $7800