Sporting AIDS out of Youth in Uganda

AIDS Information Centre in conjunction with TUSAPA has yet again organized a youth sports tournament dubbed 'Sporting AIDS out of Youth in Uganda'.

The popularity of sport to participants and spectators of all ages across the world is undeniable. In many communities in Uganda, all it takes is a ball to gather multitudes of children. It against this background that AIC and TUSAPA have decided to use sport as bait to attract young participants in order to provide them core HIV/AIDS services such as voluntary HIV testing, education on the risk behaviors that put them at risk of HIV, life skills education, harm reduction campaigns including alcohol, talk about reproductive health, and human rights.

This programme has turned into a TUSAPA-AIC calendar activity. The two organizations teamed up to organize what was dubbed ‘‘2nd National Inter-secondary HIV/AIDS Prevention sport Tournament'' aimed at increasing knowledge on HIV/AIDS among youth in schools through sport. The year 2010, acted as a mile stone for other annual tournaments in Uganda targeting young people on the theme of sports and HIV/AIDS. In 2010, more than 30,000 young people were reached with information on HIV and new approaches to avoid the pandemic through sports, 1,000 tested for HIV.

This is a new approach of responding to HIV&AIDS in Uganda. This year 2011, AIC and TUSAPA are making the programme more attractive and accommodative to allow young people from all corners of the country have a chance to share their experiences as well as learning new things including HIV&AIDS, HCT, Harmful drug reduction, unwanted pregnancies campaigns, human rights and so on. Unlike in 2010 where 32 secondary schools participated, this year 2011 it is hoped that the number of schools will double. These schools are selected by a panel of specialists including; FUFA staff, Ministry of Education & Sports, different clubs and representatives from various schools.

This programme will be targeting students in selected secondary schools of Uganda in partnership with Ministry of Education and Sports, Federation of Uganda Football Association(FUFA) and this will be done through districts of Uganda including Northern part. It is hoped that the tournament will start on 11th March 2011.

The programme will start with district competitions and the quarter and final matches are expected to be at Nakivubo stadium in Kampala. Over 32 schools will be competing for a purpose, sporting out HIV/AIDS among young people in Uganda.

The following activities are planned during this tournament

• HIV/AIDS educational talks
• Alcohol and harmful drug reduction
• Voluntary Counseling and Testing for HIV
• Reproductive Health talks
• STI talks
• Music Dance and Drama
• Human Rights issues