Football increases HIV testing in Malawi by 30%

A project that used football to attract young people to raise awareness about HIV / AIDS increased HIV testing by around 30%, according to an impact assessment report.

Malawi, where the project has been implemented, has one million people living with HIV / AIDS out of a population of 17.6 million, according to the Joint United Nations Program on HIV / AIDS.

“In the past, we used radio and video, but most of these media have not been very successful,” said Prince Chikweba, program director for the Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Trust.

The project, which started in May 2018 and which is administered by the Liverpool Football Club Foundation, the Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Trust and Population Services International (PSI), trained two football coaches from the Chikwawa district who, in early 2020 when the program ended, also trained 25 football coaches, including four women. 

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