Imagine first exercising your activist genius at the ripe old age of twelve.
Then imagine years later devoting most of your activist efforts getting youth involved with HIV/AIDS activism in high school.
Suzanne "Africa" Engo has done all the aforementioned, and more. Engo is currently the founder and executive director of the New York AIDS Film Festival and President of Girl Behind The Camera Productions.
Just yesterday I posted about modes of activism that involve running and/or biking for a cause. Today, I continue by spotlighting Engo and the Africa 101 Project, a project documenting Engo's upcoming 858-mile run for the film festival.
Engo's resume reads much like a philanthropic "how to" guide on impacting the world one step at a time. In 2004, Engo was recognized by MTV as the top 40 Youth AIDS Activists in the world for her long-standing efforts with AIDS activism.
This Monday, September 15th, Engo will add to an already impressive resume by running 858-miles (stopping in between, of course) beginning at the United Nations in New York and finishing at HARPO Studios in Chigaco for a New York AIDS Film Festival initiative. (HARPO as in Oprah Winfrey!).
Already Engo has lost 94 pounds in 6 months for AIDS activism while preparing for this run. The 858-mile run will happen right before World AIDS Day, and it will certainly mark a significant moment of achievement for AIDS activism.
I wonder, though, what’s the significance of 8-5-8?
Athlete-activist, Julian Azzopardi created a project called Youth Education Through Sports (YES) for Development, who's mission is to, through football, provide life-skills education to the children living in Lusaka, Zambia.
Next week Azzopardi will be heading to Lusaka, Zambia as a volunteer football coach with a vision to help children improve their lives using sports.
Azzopardi will help with outreach projects including health education and focusing on issues like HIV/AIDS, gender equality, and fair play.
Azzopardi initially became inspired to help out in Africa after reading an article in The Sunday Times seeking volunteers. He states his reason for going:
"Children are the world's future. If you don't provide children with love, care and attention, the world will remain in the same situation . . . . Sportsmen and athletes are heroes and mentors for many children who aspire to become like them... At this young age, it is important to do something to help them believe in their dreams... Besides, sports brings people together, it's an excellent means of communication and it's fun."
You can follow Azzopardi while he blogs about the trip via his website, Yes For Development.
Football has been an incredibly powerful sport helping young people in Lusaka. Take a look at the clip below from the film Lusaka Sunrise, a documentary that follows a small community's fight against AIDS and the positive impact football (soccer) plays in the fight.
Today I’d like to recognize a collaborative sports effort that pushes for gender equality, teaches about AIDS/HIV prevention, builds life-skills for at-risk youth, and provides educational opportunities for women and girls in Kenya.
The team began with a few primary players: CARE (a humanitarian organization that fights global poverty) and their Sport for Social Change Initiative, Nike Let Me Play (a youth-directed program to fight global poverty and oppression through sports), and the Mathare Youth Soccer Association (dedicated to empowering impoverished youth in Kenya through sports and community service projects).
Once these three players got together to kick some ideas around on the playing field, they realized that they were unstoppable. They chose a team name—the Kenyan American Soccer Exchange, or KASE—and scored goal after goal empowering women and girls in Kenya.
The KASE Girls USA Tour brought Kenyan teams to the States to build relationships and play soccer. KASE also hosts workshops to train Kenyan coaches, build political and economic support for women’s sports in Kenya, and assist Universities in developing women’s sports programs.
* also check out my previous post detailing MYSA's amazing program in Mathare, Kenya
Within the last couple of years I've been intrigued by the country of Honduras for many reasons. Besides the country's immaculate and spiritual beauty, I'm drawn to Honduras because of the people. My affinity for this country is similar to my feelings toward the city of New Orleans. I've always wanted to spend a significant amount of time in these two places, whether it's by helping hurricane Katrina survivors rebuild their lives, or, in the case of Honduras, help impoverished women and youth improve their lives. Perhaps someday soon I will have the opportunity to travel to these places and try to make a difference, but for now my activism will have to manifest itself in the form of writing.
I'm compelled to share this story with you about a program, Fútbol Para La Vida, which has proved to significantly impact the lives of youth in Honduras. With the help of founder and former pro fútbol player, Héctor Zelaya, “more than 25,000 children have gone through the program and are now living better lives.”
Take for instance 14-year-old Ander Vasquez who says that he enjoys participating in the program because “it keeps me away from drugs and bad habits.” (See Ander Vasquez in YouTube clip below).
Niles' article also mentions that the program teaches youth about HIV and drug prevention. I'm interested in knowing more about what exactly the program teaches these young children about HIV and how this type of prevention has impacted their lives. While I understand the importance of having HIV/AIDS prevention programs in various African countries, I'm just as intrigued in knowing how the prevention programs can help in Latin American countries like Honduras. Admittedly, I was surprised by the dramatic increase of HIV/AIDS cases in Honduras while researching for this blog post.
So in addition to the economic disparities facing many youth in Honduras, it seems that cultural and societal issues concerning drugs, violence, and HIV/AIDS contribute to the surmounting challenges facing the people of this country.
I tip my hat to both the UNICEF foundation and to Héctor Zelaya’s program for courageously addressing social problems through sports.
I still plan on visiting Honduras soon. There's lots of work to be done.
Today I’d like to recognize a collaborative sports effort that pushes for gender equality, teaches about AIDS/HIV prevention, builds life-skills for at-risk youth, and provides educational opportunities for women and girls in Kenya.
