Around the world, half of all new HIV/AIDS cases are in young people under the age of 25. So we at Let Me Play have teamed up with MTV’s Staying Alive campaign to raise money for - and awareness of – the fight against HIV/AIDS.
So in honor of World AIDS Day - December 1 – Nike designed special shoes to auction off on NikeID, with proceeds going to benefit the Staying Alive Foundation.
But you can join the fight against HIV beyond our work with MTV – and you can do it through sports. Sports can be an important part of any young person’s life, especially those infected or affected by HIV/AIDS. Our Nike South Africa team has partnered with Gauteng North Sports Council / Altus Sport Management to do just that through soccer and dance.
Learn more about how Let Me Play is using sports to fight HIV.
Life’s a Ball / Kick-AIDS
We introduced this program – Life’s a Ball – with Kick-AIDS to schools and other non-profit partners in South Africa. The program – based on the idea of wellness – is a way of looking at life positively and encouraging young people to take responsibility for their own health through athletic training and educational games. It was incorporated into the Oprah Angel Network Ikageng Christmas party where 1000 HIV orphaned learners were exposed to the program. To date, thousands of young South Africans have participated in the program.
One of the specific games is the Relay Race. It aims to equip young people, educators and coaches with HIV/AIDS knowledge through skills and educational games. It’s plays by two or more groups who race each other to compete an HIV/AIDS message, such as the the picture above. When it is called out the teams race around the field and each team member contributes a stick.
For more on Life’s a Ball / Kick-AIDS, click here.
National Cup of Heroes
This is a flagship program in South Africa implemented by our partner SCORE (Sports Coaches Outreach) for World Cup 2010 and beyond. It’s all about the inclusion of girls and women in sport about increasing people’s awareness of gender issues. There are important social issues affecting youth, especially girls, like HIV/AIDS. The program helps to build leadership and organizational capacity in schools and non-profits.
For more on SCORE, click here
