PRESS CONFERENCE ON AFRICA AIDS ORPHAN PROJECT

Tomiko Abe, Director of the Stop AIDS Organization, announced the launch of the African AIDS Orphan Soccer Project at a Headquarters press conference today sponsored by the Permanent Mission of Japan.  “We believe that even one football can give a dream to orphans,” said Ms. Abe.

The organization, headquartered in Osaka, Japan, was established in close cooperation with the ambassadors of 10 different African countries:   Morocco, Nigeria, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Africa, Ghana, Mozambique, Zambia and Kenya.  The latter four ambassadors attended the press conference.

There were currently 12 million African orphans, mostly because they had lost their parents to AIDS, said Adjei-Barwuah Barfour, Ambassador of Ghana to Japan.  The African AIDS Orphan Soccer Project would work closely with those affected countries in setting up soccer teams, including equipment and uniforms, for orphans of AIDS.  The mission of the organization was to enable its participants to develop confidence and respect through soccer and to keep hope that even in spite of great difficulties they could still make a good contribution to Africa, said Mr. Barfour.

The Stop Aids Organization would organize youth soccer teams throughout African countries to play in local tournaments and, next year, the first major competition would take place in Morocco.  Through the expected support of Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), he said, the organization hoped that the top two teams would play a showcase match at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

The ambassadors, who flew in from Tokyo for the press conference, appealed to the international community for help in fighting the AIDS pandemic and supporting organizations such as the Stop AIDS organization and the soccer initiative.

The HIV/AIDS situation in his country was very serious, and the hospitals were full of people, said Antonio Daniel, Ambassador of Mozambique to Japan.  They had agreed to participate in the soccer initiative, he said, because it was time to bring some hope to the children of Africa.

In Zambia there was a saying, “that you are either affected or infected by HIV/AIDS”, said Simasiku Godfrey, Ambassador of Zambia to Japan.  There were many families that were torn apart by the disease, and the world needed to come together and support one another to give hope to the youth.  Mr. Godfrey said that no help was too small.

Awori Dennis, Ambassador of Kenya to Japan, said the project should not replace efforts to fight the AIDS pandemic but was a supplement.  The soccer project was aimed at providing hope to children affected by the disease and offered opportunities to them.

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For information media • not an official record