HIV remains one of the biggest issues affecting the lives of African people.   Each year up to 2 million Africans acquire the infection, and about 1.3 million die as a result of it.   One in 20 Sub-saharan African adults is living with HIV, and about 12 million African children have been orphaned by the pandemic.

This is one of the biggest humanitarian issues in the world, and it should be centre-stage in people’s minds EVERY day, not just on 1st December. 

The good news is that recent years have brought with them real evidence that education and treatment really do work, and with this comes genuine hope that an end may be in sight.   New infection rates in 22 African countries fell by more than 25% between 2001 and 2009, and by the end of 2008, 44% of people needing antiretroviral therapy received the drugs – an increase from 2% 5 years previously.  

The reasons for these live-saving improvements are – broadly – twofold.   Firstly people in Africa have successfully changed their behaviour as a result of access to information and resources – and secondly people all over the world have stepped up to the challenge of providing these resources.    This is how simple saving lives can be – people giving and accepting help.

Clearly there is a long way to go.   HIV is nowhere near as high on the global agenda as it should be, particularly in these euphemistically termed ‘times of austerity’ (we Brits may be rightly worried about our pensions, but in Uganda food inflation is at 50% and people are worried about their next meal).    Global pledges made at G8 summits have not been delivered and we will fall well short of some of the Millenium Development Goals relating  to HIV.   As a result, millions will die unnecessarily due to lack of treatment, lack of resources, lack of information – in essence, lack of interest and commitment from the developed world.

Here’s what you can do to help.   Pick one or more that strike the most resonance with you and do them today.

1.    Read and share something about the HIV pandemic.   We recommend this:   http://www.positivenation.co.uk/magazine.php?section_id=8&issue_id=6  – or the latest UN report here or Avert’s excellent website where some of the stats above came from

2.   Donate £10 to TackleAfrica by texting ‘TKAF11 £10′ to 70070.   We will use your money to deliver HIV education through football coaching to young people across Africa

3.   Register free with http://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/tackleafrica and TackleAfrica will receive a small donation from major retailers when you shop online

4.   Run a fundraising event for TackleAfrica at your school, workplace, university or football team.  We’ll help, contact us for more details

5.  ‘Like’ or ‘Follow’ TackleAfrica at www.facebook.com/tackleafrica or @tackleafrica on twitter.   Ask others to like or follow us too

6.    Make a regular donation at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/charities/tackleafrica - it costs about £100 a year to train and support an African coach or schoolteacher to deliver HIV education to about 50 young people.   Give £10 a month and we’ll be able to throw in a couple of footballs too.

7.    Talk to your employer about partnership with TackleAfrica.   We can work with your staff to change lives in Africa.

8.    Register your interest in next year’s Football Marathon – email tom@tackleafrica.org

9.    Organise your own Football Marathon with our support – email tom@tackleafrica.org

10.   Volunteer your time and expertise to TackleAfrica – whether you’re a football coach, marketing expert, event organiser, researcher, doctor or anything else we will probably need your help.   email info@tackleafrica.org

11.    Climb Kilimanjaro in April and raise money for TackleAfrica.   Email tom@tackleafrica.org

one game saves lives

The event will take place on Sunday 11th December between 11am and 3pm at King George V playing fields, Topsham Road, Exeter, EX2 6HE.   It’s just £5.50 per player and all proceeds will go to TackleAfrica.

Futbolistas football coaching for girls is run by TackleAfrica volunteer coach educator Becca Todd.   For more information, visit www.futbolistasfootballcoaching.com , download the flyer below or email becca@futbolistasfootballcoaching.com

Futbolistas_Exeter 2011

See below for a video of Becca’s recent trip to Kenya with TackleAfrica

We can offer our volunteers an opportunity to work in a highly interesting and innovative organisation.

If you have specific skills and time to donate and are  interested in volunteering for TackleAfrica, please contact info@tackleafrica.org.  Please include details about which areas of work you might like to help with, your skills and experience and how much time you may be able to commit.   

Please note we are very grateful for all offers of volunteer support but may not always be able to offer you your first choice of project.

To be a TackleAfrica qualified coach, you must:

• Hold at least an FA Level 1 or equivalent football coaching qualification
• Have demonstrable interest, expertise and/or experience in youth work, HIV education or a similar field (preferable)
• Have experience travelling or working in developing countries, preferably Africa
• Undergo a Criminal Records Bureau check to ensure you are suitable for working with young/vulnerable people
• Demonstrate that you have the right enthusiasm, integrity and character to represent a charity working with sexual health issues in an area of extreme poverty
• Pass an interview and 2-day practical and classroom training and assessment day run by TackleAfrica staff and Trustees, including reading of essential texts and research
• Fundraise approximately £500 towards the cost of your flights, usually by playing in/bringing a team to the Football Marathon

Our coaches our perhaps our most valuable asset and are the face of TackleAfrica in Africa.   A coaching project is an incredible and unique experience, and we look for the most talented and dedicated individuals to join our bank of coaches.  If you’re interested in becoming a TackleAfrica coach, please contact yianny@tackleafrica.org

TackleAfrica is a small organisation but with a little help from our Friends we’re able to make a huge difference to the lives of young people across Africa.

Sign up today and help us prove that one game saves lives

As a friend of TackleAfrica, you’ll receive:

• A TackleAfrica t-shirt
• A free place on one of our training courses
• A copy of our manual
• Our quarterly newsletter
• Your picture on our website

With other benefits to be added soon…

[intlink id="753" type="post"]Click here[/intlink] to read our case study about one of our Friends.

Becoming a friend is easy and costs just £100 per annum, or £10 per month.

To sign up now just fill in the form below to send us your details. Please enter your postal address details in the Message box so that we can post your welcome pack to you.

Once you have submitted the form, you will then need to click the link provided and visit our secure justgiving page where you can complete your registration by making your donation for the appropriate amount.

• Captained our most successful fundraising Football Marathon team for 5 years, raising over £20,000
• Used his engineering skills to help design the plans for our building project in Uganda
• Been secretary of the Football Marathon organising committee, an event that this year raised £120,000
• Organised a fundraising event at his old school
• Arranged for his employer, Mott McDonald, to sponsor our first ever manual, helping to cover printing costs for the first 1,000 copies
• Trained as a TackleAfrica coach and been on projects in Uganda and Zambia, helping us reach hundreds of young people

For all his sterling efforts, Neil becomes Friend No 1!

Why don’t you join Neil and become a friend too! [intlink id="750" type="post"]Click Here[/intlink] to sign up.

Keep reading for some suggestions for how you can get involved in raising funds for TackleAfrica. If you have any ideas of your own, please get in touch – we will support you all the way.

Football Marathon

TackleAfrica’s annual fundraising event is the Football Marathon, which has grown is size, scope and popularity every year and in 2008 featured over 250 players raising £70,000. The ultimate test of skill and endurance, the Football Marathon features teams playing in a super-tournament for 12 hours and raising funds through sponsorship.

Contact Tom at tom@tackleafrica.org if you want to take part in the 2009 Football Marathon, or would like information on how to organise your own Football Marathon.

Organise your own event

If you want to organise your own football tournament, keepy-uppy world record attempt, sponsored swim, silence or cycle or absolutely anything else you can think of, we will support you all the way. In the past, our supporters have raised funds by cycling from London to Paris and climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.

Take part in a national/locally organised event

If you are interested in completing a Triathlon, Marathon, Mountain Climb, Channel Swim or any other professionally organised event, we will support your application, training and fundraising efforts and can provide you with TackleAfrica t-shirts and/or running vests.

Ask your employer

TackleAfrica are currently contacting companies and other organisations to help us in our World AIDS Day appeals. We are also looking for patrons, sponsors and any other offers of support. Many companies will match funds that you raise individually or give you paid ‘charity days’ if you are volunteering or organising fundraising events.

Examples of how you can ask your company to help are:

• ‘Wear your football shirt to work’ day – where members of your organisation make a donation to TackleAfrica and get the chance to show their support for their favourite team
• Company Football tournament – we can help you organise a football tournament within your organisation or against other organisations within your sector to raise money for TackleAfrica
• One game saves lives- Appeal to colleagues to donate 90 minutes of their salaries to TackleAfrica
• Give as you earn – check if your employer is set up for payroll giving, and invite us to give a presentation to your colleagues about our work and give people the opportunity to support us with a regular gift through their salary

World AIDS Day

World AIDS day takes place worldwide on 1st December each year and is the perfect time to arrange a fundraising event or ask your company to support TackleAfrica.  For information on TackleAfrica’s World AIDS Day fundraising ideas contact  info@tackleafrica.org