Football to Promote Health and Social Responsibility within Communities

HIV/AIDS activities at the football match included SASO, a youth choir from an AIDS orphanage in Lilongwe, who entertained the pre-match crowd with songs that spoke about HIV and AIDS. Players declared in English and Chichewa that they would spread the word - and fight the stigma - about HIV and AIDS: "I pledge to use my own celebrity status in a positive way in the fight against HIV and AIDS in Malawi".

The non-governmental organisation (NGO), Kicking AIDS Out, demonstrated HIV and AIDS awareness games with the Silver Strikers - one of Malawi's big teams - before their big match against the Bakili Bullets at the national stadium. One banner they held read, "A friend with HIV is still a friend."

As a separate initiative, the Trust, in association with the English Football Association, UK Sport, and FAM, staged a 5-a-side tournament for local schools at the National Stadium in Blantyre.

In preparation for the radio programme component of the campaign, the BBC World Service Trust trained 27 radio journalists from different radio stations across Malawi to use football as a development tool, and also to improve the production of related programming.

Local programme makers, working in partnership with the BBC Trust, then produced a daily interactive magazine programme called Extra Time which examined the role of football in Malawi's development. Extra Time was broadcast live each day for a week, for 30 minutes at peak time on Malawi's MBC2 FM. A team of reporters from across Malawi, trained by the BBC, co-hosted the programmes with a BBC presenter. The presenting and production team included young reporters from each of Malawi's main radio stations (MBC, Capital FM, Joy FM, Power 101, MIJ and Maria). English premiership stars Rio Ferdinand, Gary Neville, and David James also participated in the programmes. The interviews, guests, features and other broadcast material produced as part of Extra Time were shared with other Malawian broadcasters to reach and involve as much of the population as possible.

The BBC World Service Trust and Care International are working in partnership with FAM on the "League in a Box" project which will help youth groups to establish their own leagues with administrative support from FAM.

HIV/AIDS, Youth.

According to the BBC World Service Trust, nearly 17% of Malawians are infected with HIV, an estimated 500,000 people have died, and about 800,000 children have become orphaned by the disease.