FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 5, 1999

Break The Silence: Let's Talk About AIDS

When 12 national youth football teams from 11 countries compete at the Confederation of East and Central Africa Football Associations' (CECAFA) Youth Tournament in Kenya organizers hope that amid the cheering and yelling, fans and players alike will talk to each other about AIDS.

"Break the Silence: Let's Talk About AIDS" is the campaign slogan which will be used to spark conversations about AIDS prevention before, during, and after the two-week football tournament. The matches will begin on October 23. The campaign will involve an estimated 300 players and coaches and millions of fans who will attend, watch the matches on television, or listen to commentaries on the radio. Teams from Uganda, Ethiopia, Somalia, Djibouti, Eritrea, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Sudan, and two teams from Kenya will play in the CECAFA under-20 tournament.

"We have to reach youth and involve them in AIDS prevention," says Dr. David Awasum, Senior Program Officer at the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health's Center for Communication Programs (JHU/CCP), one of several organizations sponsoring the event. "What better way to do that than at a major sporting event with messages that appeal to young people?"

CECAFA's unique partnership with JHU/CCP is an example of one of a series of interventions under the Caring Understanding Partners (CUP) Initiative, initiated by JHU/CCP throughout Africa and designed to involve men and youth in reproductive health.

Infection rates of HIV/AIDS in Africa, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, are the highest in the world, with 21 million people infected. AIDS has also become the leading cause of death. Yet parents are reluctant to talk to their children about preventing AIDS. There are not enough sources of information or responsible guidance for youth, and consequently most youth do not protect themselves against the disease. Other CUP partners include: Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), Confederation Africaine de Football (CAF), and Kenya Football Federation (KFF). The Kenyan National AIDS Control Program (NASCOP) is a national contributor. International sponsors include DfID, UNAIDS, UNFPA, WHO, USAID, and the World Bank.

"We hope that this tournament will encourage other regional football associations throughout Africa to replicate our efforts and that football stars will become role models and goodwill ambassadors for breaking the silence over AIDS," says Awasum.

AIDS prevention efforts linked to the tournament include:

• Radio and television AIDS prevention spots featuring popular football stars;
• Campaign orientation and training in AIDS outreach and education for coaches and team managers from the 12 teams;
• Telephone hotlines for HIV/AIDS counseling, through four public phone booths and health information booths at the stadium;
• AIDS information caravans consisting of football delegations from Zanzibar, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, and Uganda stopping in towns on their way to the tournament to hold community awareness rallies about AIDS prevention;
• One-minute of silence at the beginning of all matches, to serve as a reminder of soccer heroes and other loved ones who have died of AIDS, followed by remarks from officials, youth, football personalities, and others.

The use of football to reach and involve men in reproductive health was endorsed at two regional conferences held in Harare in 1997 and in Ouagadougou in 1998. JHU/CCP organized the conferences which were attended by 175 policy-makers, program managers, and donor agencies' representatives.

For further information, contact Elizabeth DuVerlie at Johns Hopkins University, Center for Communication Programs, 111 Market Place, Suite 310, Baltimore, Maryland 21202, USA. Fax: 410 659-6266; e-mail:eduverli@jhuccp.org; Tel: 410 659-6381.

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