AIDS Awareness in Africa
Did you know that at least 2,500 people per week are dying of AIDS in Zimbabwe? And that this figure is likely to keep growing? A quarter of the adult population is infected. Up to a fifth of the country’s children have lost at least one parent to the disease. A decade ago, there were 2 funeral parlours in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe’s second largest city. Today, there are 18.
So, why is this information here? Staying true to his word and combining two of his passions, Ethan Zohn is helping form a non-profit organization called Grassroot Soccer.
Grassroot Soccer ties together two of Ethan’s loves: soccer and Africa. Africa was not only the place where he Survived for 39 days, it was also one of the places where he played professional soccer to huge crowds.
The ‘huge crowds’ aspect is important here. Soccer is very popular in Africa. The youth of the country treat many soccer players as role models and heroes. Grassroot Soccer hopes that having these these heroes and role models teach AIDs awareness and prevention will increase the likelihood that at-risk youth will understand and use the most effective ways to protect themselves.
Currently Zimbabwe has the dubious honor of being the world’s most HIV infected country. As said before, about a quarter of the adult population is HIV positive. In many urban areas, infection runs as high as 40%. In the army, it is more like 80%. Imagine 8 out of 10 of your friends having HIV. It’s almost unfathomable. Let’s hope the education initiative of Grassroot Soccer can help these numbers to go down.
Find out more about Grassroot Soccer at their Web site.
* Some of the sources for the facts in this article include: Radio Netherlands and the BBC.