Kick AIDS Tournament

Ambassador Jeanine Jackson joined football enthusiasts in Ouagadougou on January 19 for the final tournament of the program “Kick AIDS.”  Since the beginning of 2006, AFRICARE has been involved in using sports to mobilize young people in combating HIV and AIDS.  This program was made possible with the financial support of the U.S. Embassy through the USAID program, Ambassador's HIV/AIDS Fund.

After a successful pilot phase in the North, AFRICARE set a 2007 objective of reaching 30,000 young people from 14 to 17 years of age in Ouagadougou.  The project trained 65 coaches throughout the city, 35 physical education teachers, and 82 teams in 10 secondary schools using the interactive program, "Sports for Life".  During the tournament ceremony, AFRICARE's representative made an urgent appeal to the private sector to join in the fight against the scourge of AIDS and support the next phase of AFRICARE's sports program, which they hope to finance exclusively with private donations.