Bono’s famous description of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown as the “Lennon and McCartney” of international development may have been a little contrived, but there is no arguing with their combined record on tackling HIV and AIDS in Africa. As Brown prepares (barring any disasters) to take the reins of power, his particular accomplishments in fighting for the underprivileged of Africa provide a great deal of optimism to those engaged in this fight on a daily basis.
But there are some areas for concern. The Chancellor’s concentration on Africa, underpinned by a deep and passionate sense of moral outrage at the inequities suffered by the continent, has been admirable, but his focus will inevitably shift as he takes over the top job.
His in-tray at No 10 will simply not allow him to give this area the attention which he has in recent years. In the international sphere alone, the war on terror, the threat of rogue states, global climate change and its resulting natural disasters will unavoidably and understandably push HIV in Africa down his personal agenda. But it would be a grave dereliction of duty for Gordon Brown to treat the issue as a ‘ticked box’ when real areas for improvement remain in the UK’s policy on tackling HIV overseas.
The Government’s current strategy for tackling HIV/AIDS in the developing world states, rightly, that “education plays a central role in HIV prevention.” But not enough emphasis is given to innovative ways of engaging at-risk groups – especially young people – to ensure that this education is as effective as possible.
More needs to be done to harness the many proven techniques which are currently being used around the world to successfully reach children with prevention messages. One method that has been particularly successful has been the use of sport in Africa to engage children with messages about HIV prevention. One of the leading advocates of this approach is TackleAfrica
Football is the world’s most popular sport, and in Africa it has attained almost religious significance, breaking down barriers and providing opportunities for even the most disadvantaged to shine. Informal kickabouts can gather sizeable crowds in a matter of seconds, and serious matches have the potential to become the stuff of legend. By capitalising on this interest, TackleAfrica and its local partners work to create a platform that can be used as a tool for communicating vital messages, mobilising communities to join the fight against HIV, enabling people to protect themselves properly and challenging the plethora of stigma and misconceptions that surround the disease.
In Mbale, Uganda, TackleAfrica is building a sustainable Sport and HIV Education Centre, which will be used to reach young people with vital information about HIV prevention using the massive appeal of football. We are also piloting a coaching programme in Kampala in the new year, which will see our FA-accredited coaches delivering and reinforcing HIV prevention messaging through innovative football coaching drills, and using their authority as football coaches to support peer-educator led classroom sessions.
We know this works. We know that these techniques are unrivalled in their ability to reach at-risk groups and get them engaging successfully with HIV prevention messages. The Government needs to recognise this and factor it in to their ongoing global development work. And Gordon Brown must harness the lessons of these innovative schemes if he is to successfully build on the progress the Government has made in tackling HIV in Africa.