Objectives

Location

Zambia, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Namibia, Lesotho, Tanzania, Vietnam, Eritrea, South Africa, Mali, Canada, Norway, United Kingdom

Target group

Children, youth, girls and women, and all at risk of contracting HIV/AIDS

Kicking AIDS Out! is an innovative approach to linking sport/physical activity and HIV/AIDS education. Sport, physical activity and movement games have been adapted to include an HIV/AIDS protection and education component, helping to reduce the stigma of HIV/AIDS and to advocate for healthy lifestyle choices. Sport is a popular activity among youth and is conducive to leadership development. It provides a unique opportunity to educate and influence this future generation of people. Using sport to educate children about HIV/AIDS can help them protect their own lives in an environment filled with positive energy. Through sport they can acknowledge the epidemic and learn the life skills to survive it. Sport can also be a positive input in the lives of those already infected and affected by HIV/AIDS.

Using youth leaders and a peer-to-peer approach through sport activities, we believe youth will be more receptive to the information. Young people relate well to people similar in age, background, and interest. Coaches and youth leaders provide excellent role models for other youth, who often have no parents to look to for guidance.

Background information

Kicking AIDS Out! is an international network of organizations which uses sport as the platform for HIV/AIDS education to spark behavioral change. Kicking AIDS Out! is an African initiative. It was initiated by Edusport Foundation (a Zambian Sports NGO), adopted by NORAD (the Norwegian Development Agency) in 2001, and has since developed into an international network of ‘northern’ and ‘southern’ partner organizations. National sport councils, NGOs, ministries of youth/sport/culture/gender, as well as national Olympic committees are mobilizing their communities and in partnership with Commonwealth Games Canada, Norwegian Olympic Committee and Confederation of Sports (NIF), and other organizations in the north, are developing innovative new approaches to address HIV/AIDS and other related social issues.

Kicking AIDS Out! serves to create a network of information sharing and best practices, promotes policy development, and supports local projects. It provides a forum for exchange between organizations from different countries, with different contributions.

Kicking AIDS Out! has developed extensive training materials for coaches, leaders, and youth leaders to use, building capacity at the individual, organizational and community level. Using these materials, local coaches and leaders are trained to help tackle HIV/AIDS in their own communities. The training consists of four levels to become fully qualified as a Kicking AIDS Out! coach or leader.

Kicking AIDS Out! recognizes that through sport we can create safe and supportive environments for young people. Involving youth in planning and developing sports programs provides them with a sense of being valued and having an opportunity to contribute to the construction and reconstruction of their communities.

The holistic of Kicking AIDS Out! builds and utilizes capacity by training local leaders with the skills to train others. It invests in the communities by building a knowledge base. Programs move towards sustainability as the knowledge base grows and diversifies.

ContactSara Nicholls
Senior Africa Regional Officer, International Development through Sport Unit
Commonwealth Games Canada (CGC)
2255 St Laurent Blvd
Ottawa, Ontario K1G 4K3
Canada
Phone: +1-613-244 6868
Fax: +1-613-244 6826
E-Mail: sara@commonwealthgames.ca

Pippa Lloyd
UK Sport
40 Bernard Street
UK
Phone: +44-207-211 51
Fax: +44-207-211 52
E-Mail: pippa.lloyd@uksport.gov.uk

Bjorn Omar Evju
Kicking AIDS Out Secretariat
The Norwegian Olympic Committee and Confederation of Sports (NIF)
Phone: + 47 21029118
E-Mail: bjorn.omar.evju@idrettsforbundet.no