Some of the officials from National Malaria Control Program
CECAFA and Tusker partner with United Against Malaria to bring life-saving messages to football fans of Central and East Africa
Dar es Salaam, November 23 – For the second consecutive year, the CECAFA Tusker Challenge Cup has joined United Against Malaria (UAM) to shine a spotlight on the fight against malaria in East and Central Africa, where the disease kills 209,000 people annually, a quarter of all malaria deaths on the continent. The two-week tournament will include malaria prevention and treatment messages on and off the field, leveraging the popularity of football to save lives.
Strengthening its commitment to the fight against malaria, the tournament’s organizer, the Council of East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA), will extend the scope and vision of UAM to fans and participants of all 12 competing teams, which include the CECAFA regions and guests Malawi and Namibia. Leaders of the governing body say they hope to positively impact the game and its fans.“A malaria-infected society is not a healthy one, and football needs a healthy society to thrive,” says Leodegar Tenga, chairman of CECAFA. “It requires healthy players, administrators, coaches, referees and, most importantly healthy fans. Without them you cannot develop the game, which is why we have chosen to partner with UAM.”
Underlining the strong commitment from the private sector to UAM, the tournament’s corporate partner, Serengeti Breweries, owner of the Tusker brand, is also lending its support to the campaign’s goal of encouraging companies to become malaria safe.
“As sponsors of the CECAFA Tusker Cup 2010, we are committed to joining with the United Against Malaria campaign and becoming a malaria safe company to ensure our employees have access to malaria prevention and treatment tools,” said Ephraim Mafuru Director of Marketing for Serengeti Breweries Limited.
Although preventable and treatable, a child in Africa dies of malaria every 45 seconds. In the CECAFA region alone, some 39 million cases of malaria were recorded last year. Beyond human suffering, malaria also contributes to a cycle of poverty and limits economic development.
“We are very proud to partner with CECAFA and Tusker,” said David Kyne, United Against Malaria’s Campaign Manager. “We have seen that by delivering messages around prevention and treatment through football, we can encourage football fans to take action to help protect themselves and their families from malaria. National federations, such as the Tanzanian Football Federation, and private sector leaders like Tusker have been working hard with their players and employees to help educate fans in their communities about the need for access to tools like mosquito nets, diagnostic tests and effective drugs should they fall ill.”
UAM activities kicked-off on Wednesday with a media orientation for national and international sports journalists, with the National Malaria Control Program, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for Communications Programs, CECAFA, Tusker and the Clinton Health Access Initiative. The informational session was followed by a friendly football match between the journalists, dedicated to malaria awareness. Additional UAM activities throughout the tournament will include public service announcements being aired during television broadcasts, on field educational branding during each match, UAM training/warm up shirts for teams and mascots as well as information and educational messaging included in the official tournament program.
About Malaria
Malaria is a disease caused by parasites and is transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected mosquito. If left untreated, the infection in its most severe forms can lead to a coma and death. Malaria is preventable and treatable, but continues to kill a child every 45 seconds and overall nearly one million people each year. Malaria contributes to the cycle of poverty and limits economic development.
About United Against Malaria
United Against Malaria is a partnership of football teams and heroes, celebrities, health and advocacy organizations, governments, corporations, and individuals who united to win the fight against malaria. Our goal is to galvanize partners throughout the world to reach the international target of reducing deaths to near zero by 2015. www.UnitedAgainstMalaria.org
About CECAFA Tusker Cup 2011
Twelve teams from the Council of East and Central Africa Football Association (CECAFA) are taking part in the tournament whose title sponsor is Serengeti Breweries through the Tusker Brand. Participating countries include Djibouti, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Somalia, Zanzibar, Ethiopia and Sudan. Additional invited teams include Malawi and Namibia. For more information: www.cecafa.net.
Press Contacts:
Tanzania & Africa: Mike Ngatunga, mngatung@jhsph.edu, Tel: +255 787 568918
US & Europe: David Kyne; davidkyne@gmail.com Tel: +1 917 969 3904