Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2004. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies - 21 June 2004
Tapiwa Gomo
A meeting in Johannesburg from 17 to 18 June, also attended by representatives of the United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the World Bank and other interested non-governmental organisations, explored how to use sport to break down the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS in southern Africa and educate the public, especially the young, about the disease.
The workshop recommended that National Olympic Committees (NOC) and Red Cross Societies find ways of cooperating at national level, especially on special days such as the World AIDS day, Olympic Youth camps and other sporting activities.
"We hope that formal agreements will be signed between NOC and the Red Cross at national level and that this will facilitate the smooth cooperation between these organizations," said Patricia Nyabadza, the FederationÆs regional HIV/AIDS programme officer.
"We are glad that as a starting point, the National Olympic committees will identify athletes to speak about HIV/AIDS issues to the media before the Olympics in Athens."
"Sport can play a very important role in the prevention of HIV/AIDS. Since sports personalities are role models, we can utilise that relationship to spread HIV/AIDS messages to the people in Southern Africa region," she added.
Sport is just one of several approaches being adopted by the Red Cross and Red Crescent to prevent new infections and effect behaviour change.
Southern Africa is the region of the world hardest-hit by the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
It is estimated that one in 10 people is HIV infected, with some countries having adult prevalence rates of almost 40 per cent.
The workshop, the first of its own kind in the region, brought together HIV/AIDS experts from UNAIDS, National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and National Olympic Committees from 13 sub-Saharan Africa countries to find ways of using sport to eliminate stigma associated with the scourge and raise awareness among the public, especially the young.
"In many African societies, sport is the major pastime activity that unites people from village to national level, and it is a great achievement for Red Cross and Red Crescent societies to be associated with the IOC," explained Razia Essack-Kauaria, secretary general of the Namibia Red Cross, and a board member of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria.
"This is an opportunity through which we can create a global network to highlight the plight of vulnerable communities in our region. And this is the most convenient way through which we can improve access to information, especially for young people," she added.
Many African Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies have incorporated sports activities in their HIV/AIDS work on an informal basis, aware that sport breaks down barriers, promotes self-esteem and teaches life skills.
The International Federation believes there is a need to closely associate the sporting community with HIV/AIDS prevention, to identify possible joint activities involving National Olympic Committees (NOCs), National Societies, UNAIDS offices and relevant NGOs at country level, and to recruit high-profile sportspersons as role models for peer education.
"Both the Olympic Movement and the Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement have a lot to learn from one another, as they work with volunteers all over the world. Sport has always been a good way of promoting the ideals of humanitarianism, respect for diversity, tolerance and non-discrimination," said Fernanda Teixiera, secretary general of the Mozambique Red Cross.
She also indicated that partnership of these two Movements is the best way of promoting the will of doing more and better for the benefit of humanity.
"In my country I see this collaboration as a good opportunity for more involvement of youths in reducing poverty, prevention of new HIV/AIDS infection, the fight against stigma and discrimination and the dissemination of humanitarian values. I can already see Maria de Lourdes Mutola, our Olympic champion, campaigning with us for the involvement of young people in activities related with HIV/AIDS prevention," she added.
The same sentiments were echoed by Mandisa Kalako Williams, president of the South African Red Cross.
"Sports people are both relevant and vulnerable to HIV/AIDS related issues. We believe they can influence behavioural change because of the role they play in their various sporting disciplines. Every child in South Africa wants to emulate the Bafana Bafana," she said, referring to the South African national soccer team.
The meeting in Johannesburg comes barely a year after the International Federation and IOC signed a cooperation agreement in Madrid.
The agreement brought the organizations together in promoting international solidarity as a way of contributing towards human development, specifically through active cooperation between National Olympic Committees and National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
The Federation, through its national societies, is involved in the fight against HIV/AIDS through prevention, advocacy and home-based care programmes targeting more than 30,000 clients across Southern Africa.
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