Blantyre, May 26: The Football Association of Malawi-FAM has received a K41, 540,563.20 boost from UNAIDS towards the Protect the Goal Campaign which uses the power of football to fight against the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
UNAIDS Country Director, Amokabe Sande presented the cheque last Friday at Chiwembe Technical Centre in Blantyre.
FAM as the implementing agency will work hand-in-hand with CBOs in various districts in getting the message to the youth.
Principal Secretary II in the Ministry of Sports Sam Madula, expressed government’s delight at the grant.
He said such efforts compliment government’s efforts in the fight against the pandemic. President Professor Peter Mutharika signed the protect the ball football in the presence of Ghana football icon Asamoah Gyan last year.
FAM President Walter Nyamilandu Manda was delighted with the campaign and the benefit it offers to Malawi football such as coaching clinics/courses, various youth leagues and networking between football and CBOs in tackling issues of HIV/AIDS.
“Football being the number one sport it has the numbers and it has captive audience and also wide reach. This is all the more reason football should be part of the equation in providing a solution towards HIV/Aids awareness. For this reason, Fam launched the Protect the Goal campaign in December last year,” he said
UNAIDS Country Director, Amokabe Sande said Protect the Goal uses football to disseminate the message on HIV prevention coupled with music, fashion and arts.
Malawi’s fight to move towards zero HIV infections took a giant step after President Arthur Peter Mutharika joined other leaders by signing the Project Goal Campaign at Sanjika Palace, Blantyre in August 2014.
The ceremony attracted high profile guests which included Ghana’s Black Stars captain Asamoah Gyan, who is also the Lead Sports Celebrity for Protect the Goal in Ghana.
Protect the Goal is a global campaign spearheaded by UNAIDS which aims to raise awareness of HIV and mobilize young people through the game of football to commit to HIV prevention. The
Protect the Goal campaign also stresses the need for ensuring all the 15 million people eligible for life-saving antiretroviral treatment globally can access it by 2015.
Globally, an estimated 4.6 million young people between 15 and 24 years of are living with HIV. In Malawi, 310, 000 young people are living with HIV while 180, 000 children aged 14 years and below are HIV positive.
The campaign was globally launched by the President of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, UNAIDS Executive Director, Michel Sidibé and the President of the Confederation of African Football, Issa Hayatou on 19 January 2013 at the opening ceremony of the Orange Africa Cup of Nations in Johannesburg.
