MALAWI: Malawian NGO and Medecins Sans Frontieres organise a football tournament to raise awareness about the AIDS pandemic in the country

Record ID: 402222

  • Title: MALAWI: Malawian NGO and Medecins Sans Frontieres organise a football tournament to raise awareness about the AIDS pandemic in the country
  • Date: 8th July 2010
  • Summary: BLANTYRE, MALAWI (JULY 6, 2010) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PEOPLE MARCHING, CARRYING PLACARDS BANNER READING "HALF TIME. NO TIME TO QUIT" WOMAN WEARING T-SHIRT READING: "NO TIME TO QUIT ON HIV/AIDS FUNDING-HALF TIME" PEOPLE CHANTING AS THEY MARCH VARIOUS OF PEOPLE SEATED AT STADIUM NEAR PLACARDS HOLDING PLACARDS VARIOUS OF JOURNALISTS ASKING QUESTIONS (SOUNDBITE) (Englis
  • Embargoed: 23rd July 2010 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Malawi
  • Country: Malawi
  • Topics: Health,Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVAB183JXQ0526FUSN6W6DREXVC4
  • Story Text: International medical humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), is using the World Cup to draw attention to the country's efforts to fight HIV/AIDS.
    Along with the National Association of People Living with HIV/AIDS (NAPHAM), MSF organised an awareness march and five-a-side football tournament on Wednesday (July 6) in Blantyre, Malawi.
    The tournament was called "HalfTime!"
    "With this event we want to say we are half-time, we are half-way in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Many achievements have been made which are commendable and we are all keen to continue this fight. We should not call it quit or stop in the middle of the match just like the referee at the World Cup would not stop the match at half-time. So we must stay committed, we must stay strong together in this battle against the disease that has devastated many lives in a country such as Malawi," said Mereille Bemelmans, Head of Mission for MSF in Malawi.
    Organisers hoped the event would help calls for international donors to keep up financial support for Malawi's antiretroviral drug programme.
    "It will be suicidal to stop funding now. We are just half-way through this battle. We need more funding for HIV/AIDS programmes," said Memory Baluwa, a HIV/AIDS counsellor.
    MSF says donations have declined in recent months.
    "Things are going well with these drugs. Why stop? Many people have found hope thanks to the funding," said Chief Ntholora, a HIV/AIDS patient.
    In 2008, officials announced that Malawi had recorded about 800,000 AIDS related deaths since 1985, when the first case was reported.
    Malawi started to offer free antiretroviral therapy -- drugs that help treat immunodeficiency virus -- to thousands of patients in 2004.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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