DGAAN was formed as a result of Bono, of U2, stopping at Wheaton College for an evening appearance during the Heart of America Tour, which was designed to raise American awareness about the HIV/AIDS crisis in Africa. Bono was very honest in stating, in a move both cynical and pragmatic, that he intended to use his celebrity status to draw attention to HIV/AIDS in Africa. Thus, he taught by example, that celebrities and events can be an opportunity to reach people who would not be reached otherwise.

The Heart of America Tour event at Wheaton College was attended by 2000+ students and adults and focused on the crisis of HIV/AIDS in Africa. Without Bono's presence, many of those people would not have attended.

Prior to that evening's performance, seventy-five community leaders, from religious, educational and civic organizations, gathered to discuss the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Africa. VIP tickets were only given to people wanting to continue their involvement in the crisis and the list drew on people who were already committed to change. If you want something done, the best person to ask is a busy person. After this day's experience, a follow-up meeting was scheduled for ten days later at a relatively neutral site: a public school. Forty-five persons gathered, adults and college students, to see what could be done to keep the spirit of the event alive.

Since that time meetings have been held regularly at either Wheaton College or the Wheaton Franciscan's campus.

Co-Chairs

The network is co-chaired by two people: S. Glenna Czachor, OSF, from the Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation Office of the Wheaton Franciscans, a Catholic organization, and Sandra Joireman, Ph.D., of the Dept of Politics and International Relations at Wheaton College, an Evangelical organization. As the two co-chairs reflected about the experience, they shared a number of thoughts as to why this network is so successful.

Glocal

The word glocal is an amalgam of global and local. It was created to symbolize DGAAN's awareness that the HIV pandemic must be addressed on both local and global areas.