Using the power of soccer to fight HIV/AIDS

Mr Covid-19 Champion has been using motorbike to traverse various slum areas and informal settlements creating awareness and preventive information regarding covid-19.Mr Covid -19 champion has been focusing on communities where most of VAP’s participants reside. Throughout his rides, he has been sharing key covid-19 preventive messages that include: proper hand washing with soap and running water, sanitizing of hands, wearing masks, keeping social distance, staying at home, and visiting health facility in case of any symptoms,etc. “ Happy to know more about covid-19 messages carried by VAP motor cycle riders.I will adhere to the rules and guidelines provided and spread the message to my fellow community people.” Said 20 years old Kamau,a resident of Kiambio slums.

Team Covid Vs Team Human

Being an organization that uses football as the core component to reach out to the youth with health messages, development of football based comic booklets featuring team Covid-19 Vs Team Human is underway. The booklets will be distributed via door to door to the youth who participate in VAP’s youth programs as well as through their parents’ whatsaap group. The print version will be supplemented by an electronic animation version to be watched at homes by the youth and the general public while learning about covid-19 and its preventive measures.

The eruption of covid-19 pandemic is and still continues to be a challenge globally with many people getting infected every day and lives getting lost every minute and hours. Since the first detection of covid-19 in Kenya, its spread has been on the rise with many communities struggling with ways of curbing the virus. However, many of the communities that VAP serve which are slum areas of Nairobi, have been facing a great challenge of basic necessities which include: inadequate water supply which is very key towards preventing covid-19 virus, congestions of houses and people, inadequate soap and sanitizers, masks and other items.

It’s out of the covid-19 breakout that Vijana Amani Pamoja initiated a ‘VAP Cares,Covid-19 Response’ initiative that aims at creating awareness of covid-19 in the slum areas, targeting its youth participants and the entire communities.VAP Cares initiative has been on the frontline making a door to door community visits distributing soaps, and teaching communities on the importance of social distancing, proper hand washing of hands by using soaps, staying At Home  and  reporting to the nearest health facility in case of any symptoms of covid-19 .” Am happy to have received soap and more information of covid-19 awareness, me and my young family are going to stay at home to prevent the disease.” Said 19 year old Jacinta a young mother of 18 months old baby. As VAP Cares covid-19 campaigns continue, we would appreciate any kind of donation that would go towards supporting and spreading the awareness of covid-19 in all the slum areas of Nairobi.