UNICEF Teams up with Cricket World Cup to Fight AIDS

UNICEF and UNAIDS have partnered with International Cricket Council to raise awarness to the issues facing children and young people affected by HIV/AIDS. Crickets largest event of the year the ICC World Cup is taking place this week in Jamaica. Teams participating in the cup are going together to support the Unite for Children. Unite against AIDS campaign.

“AIDS is robbing tens of millions of children of childhood itself,” said UNICEF’s Representative in Jamaica, Bertrand Bainvel. ICC President Percy Sonn. “We hope the range of activities delivered at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 will make a difference to raising awareness and reducing stigma around HIV in the Caribbean and across the ever-growing cricket world,”

Globally, 2.3 million children are living with HIV. In 2005, around 380,000 children died of AIDS and 540,000 children got newly infected. Over 15 million children have lost one or both parents to AIDS. The UNITE FOR CHILDREN, UNITE AGAINST AIDS Campaign child-focused framework around the ‘Four Ps:’

• Prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission by 2010, offer appropriate services to 80 per cent of women in need


• Provide pediatric treatment by 2010, provide either antiretroviral treatment or cotrimoxazole, or both, to 80 per cent of children in need


• Prevent infection among adolescents and young peopleBy 2010, reduce the percentage of young people living with HIV by 25 per cent globally


• Protect and support children affected by HIV/AIDS by 2010, reach 80 per cent of children most in need

The event is expected to draw over 10,000 spectators and over 2 billion viewers on TV fallowing the event. This is a great partnership that will raise awareness to groups of people who may not have been exposed to the severity of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Sweet videos at
http://www.unicef.org/sports/index_38544.html