In cooperation with the World Health Organisation (WHO), streetfootballworld network members Mathare Youth Sports Association (MYSA) and Vijana Amani Pamoja (VAP) held a major event to promote knowledge about the prevention and treatment of tuberculosis (TB) to mark World AIDS Day today. An educational workshop for school children and a football tournament for girls and boys aged 12 to 14 was the highlight of the event in Mathare, Nairobi.
The event is part of a campaign initiated by the Stop TB Partnership that aims to treat 50 million people for TB and enrolling 3 million patients who have both TB and HIV on antiretroviral therapy over the next 10 years.
The campaign uses football and celebrities like Luís Figo to bring the messages closer to the people. In Mathare, an educational comic book featuring the Portuguese football star will be distributed. The materials developed can be downloaded online in several languages and are free to use for anyone who wishes to join the fight against TB: www.stoptb.org/figo
Bringing organisations together
The contact between the WHO and the network members MYSA and VAP was established by streetfootballworld. Other organisations engaged in the initiative are the government of Kenya, through the Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation, and Alive and Kicking.
The event featured two high-profile special guests: United Nations Secretary General’s Special Envoy to Stop Tuberculosis, Dr. Sampaio, and UN Secretary-General's Special Adviser on Sports, Development, and Peace, Wilfried Lemke visited the event in Nairobi to enforce the message that the fight against TB is currently one of the most pressing issues in Africa and the rest of the world.
Stop TB
TB is a major health issue in Africa -- even though it can be cured with a six-month course of drugs that costs only US $20. The Stop TB Partnership is hosted by the World Health Organization and consists of more than 900 international organisations, countries, donors from the public and private sectors, and non-governmental and governmental organisations working together to eliminate TB.
Download here the comic book that was distributed at the event!
