The streets of Cato Manor, an informal settlement just outside Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, are alive with volunteers from DramAidE, the KwaZulul-Natal Youth Empowerment Project and Footballers for Life who are mobilising the community at major traffic and shopping points to do the right thing and score a goal for HIV prevention.
Targeting men, women and children these volunteers effortlessly engage with local people on the need to prevent new HIV infections using the Brothers for Life materials. Posters featuring world cup stars Lionel Messi (Argentina), Thierry Henry and Patrice Evra (France), Teko Modisse and Matthew Booth (South Africa) are popular tools with the locals who snap up the posters to put up in their homes. The materials have been made possible through a unique collaboration of USAID/PEPFAR, UNICEF, FC Barcelona and Manchester United.
Men pay close attention as the volunteers use the Brothers for Life leaflet to talk about the risks of multiple partners, demonstrate male and female condom usage and talk about the benefits of knowing their status. All persons are provided with their own pack of condoms so that they can do the right thing to stop new HIV infections.
Just off from the main road a row of shacks becomes the target for this group of HIV prevention soldiers as they move from shack to shack discussing with men and women about how best to prevent HIV.
On these streets not everyone is open to the message. In some cases doors remain firmly shut or are slammed closed. But in one section a young man leads the group volunteers to a shebeen that is hidden away at the back of the settlement where men are engaging in a game of pool. The men stop to listen and engage with the volunteers on issues relating to HIV prevention drawn by the images of the popular sports personalities.
Sexuality is not an easy topic as the volunteers discover as men ask tricky questions ranging from how to limit their partners, how to drink responsibly and in one instance about family planning options for people living with HIV who are planning to have a new baby.
Once the door to door campaign has been completed the action moves to the local sports field to support former professional footballers – Silver Tshabalala and Bashin Mhlangu from Footballers for Life to not only provide some useful soccer tips to local clubs and young people but also on how they can prevent themselves from getting infected with HIV. The activities form part of a local soccer tournament where kit donated by Adidas are given away as prizes to the competing teams.
