Football Brings Greater Awareness About HIV/AIDS

Following on from great success in Malawi, Grassroots Soccer again saw record numbers attend an event and take part in testing for HIV. This time it was in Zambia

On 31st October more than 3000 people came together at Bauleni Basic School grounds in Lusaka where Grassroot Soccer Zambia held its second Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) football tournament of 2009.

The event was made possible by funding from Barclays Spaces for Sports and was an amazing success with 812 individuals being tested , with over 10% of them aged under 16 years.

The football tournament began in the morning and as the day progressed with entertainment being provided by Barefeet Theatre Group, and music from The Third, a popular Zambian music group, the numbers of attendees grew.

VCT activities were carried out very professionally by GRS Zambia’s testing and treatment partners LatKings, Newstart, Center for Infectious Disease Research Zambia (CIDRZ), Bauleni Community Clinic, Tiny Tim’s and Planned Parenthood Association Zambia (PPAZ).

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Read about a similar event in Malawi

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