Fighting HIV through Football


Advertisement
Ghana's flag
Africa » Ghana » Northern » Tamale
February 3rd 2008
Published: February 6th 2008
Edit Blog Post

Football FieldFootball FieldFootball Field

Photo: Shawn Fraser A football field in Tamale
Picture this - two groups of 5 kids square off against each other on the football pitch. One team is the white blood cells - the second team is opportunistic infections. It’s an even game and it represents everyday life. Sometimes you are ill - sometimes you are healthy.

Then the HIV team is introduced and it plays on the same side as infections. There are now 10 players against 5 - so it becomes obvious that with HIV the infections start to dominate.

After a while a fourth team is introduced - the Antiviral Drugs team that plays on the side of the white blood cells. For a while the teams are evening matched - but that could give the wrong impression so the members of the white blood cell team are removed one by one. HIV and infections dominate once more.
The game ends and it is very clear that it is over because the person is dead.

It’s a stark message designed to show young people how HIV/AIDS works. Combining sport and education is not a new idea - The British based NGO Tackle Africa has been delivering the message to children in 16 countries
EquipmentEquipmentEquipment

This shoe is a novelty -- most of the young guys play in bare feet.
in Sub-Sahara Africa since 2002.

The message is simple - the only way to know if you have HIV is to get tested at the hospital. And preventing infection is as easy as ABC - practice abstinence, be faithful, and use a condom.
One of the Tackle Africa coaches, Graeme Sears says the drills are designed to be fun while at the same time educating the young footballers. He says the organization chose football as a way to get their message across because football is a universal language - “no matter where on Earth you go people speak football.” He says he hopes the stigma around HIV/AIDS will be reduced as players go back home and tell their families and friends about what they learned.

Although most of the young footballers say they do not know anyone with the virus - Statistics show that the HIV/AIDS prevalence rate in Ghana is 3.1 per cent. That’s almost three times the global average but relatively compared with other countries in Sub-Saharan African where the prevalence rate is around 7.5 per cent.

So what can be done to prevent Ghana from reaching the same fate? Coach Graeme says the key
Football FriendsFootball FriendsFootball Friends

Photo: Nichole Huck Football Practice in Tamale
is educating young people before they start engaging in risky behaviours.

Statistics show that people between the ages of 25-34 are the hardest hit, accounting for more than
40 per cent of AIDS Cases reported in Ghana. Young women are particularly affected; among young
people ages 15-24 the estimated number of young women living with HIV/AIDS was more than
twice that of young men.

The trouble is how does this message reach young women? Only a handful of girls participated in the
HIV awareness football training.

One of the newly trained coaches, 18 year old Humu Kulusn says playing football keeps her focused on her future and out of trouble. She dreams of playing for the Ghana professional women’s football team one day. She says she wishes more young women could take up football - but admits not all parents are as supportive as hers.

“Some parents think that if a woman plays football she won’t be able to get pregnant and have children. And some think the girl will lie about being at practice and just be out roaming.”

In a society where women are more likely to be found helping around the house than out on the playing field - the message may need a little more help to get to those most in need of hearing it. But young women like Kulusn will do their part. She says she will use what she has learned to coach other young women about how to reach their goals on and off the field.

*The statistics on HIV prevalence in my story are the most conservative numbers I came across. I've seen a few different ones - including 5% prevalencing rate in Ghana.**


Advertisement



Tot: 0.079s; Tpl: 0.01s; cc: 9; qc: 57; dbt: 0.0504s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1; ; mem: 1.2mb