South Africa players launch the first THINK WISE community project

New initiative aims to use cricket community project to tackle HIV

Haroon Lorgat:"Being a great sport with global reach, it is important that we create social legacies from our major events"

Two of South Africa's leading cricketers Alviro Petersen and Morne Morkel on Wednesday launched the first of the International Cricket Council's (ICC) THINK WISE community projects aimed at using the power and popularity of cricket to help young people reduce their risk and vulnerability to HIV and develop important life skills.

THINK WISE is the ICC's social responsibility programme in partnership with UNAIDS, UNICEF and the Global Media AIDS Initiative (GMAI) which uses cricket to promote awareness about HIV and respect, support and inclusion for people living with the disease.

By establishing the first THINK WISE community project in collaboration with loveLife, South Africa's largest HIV prevention programme for young people, the partnership aims to have a positive impact at a community level.

This project will link cricket as a sport, and cricketing heroes as role models, into an integrated awareness programme for young people. Cricket as a sport promotes physical activity, healthy living and positive lifestyles, all of which are key elements of preventing HIV among South African youth.

After launching the project, Petersen said: "I am delighted to be here to launch the project on behalf of the South Africa team. Cricket can play a positive role in local communities and I am sure that this project will grow and prosper."

The launch of the THINK WISE community project is a sign of the expansion of the partnership and the ICC's commitment to delivering a legacy from events such as the ICC Champions Trophy South Africa 2009.

ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat said: "Being a great sport with global reach, it is important that we create social legacies from our major events.
"I am delighted to see our THINK WISE programme reach out to the community in this way. More projects like this will be announced around our next major events in the Caribbean and the Asian sub-continent so that we provide a valuable legacy to these regions.

"The maturity and support of our big name players is truly commendable."

South Africa captain and THINK WISE champion, Graeme Smith, offering his support to the project, said: "This project allows youngsters to learn important life skills. It is fantastic to see cricket being used in this way, to benefit South African communities. I hope that more of these projects can be developed in the future."

The project will be piloted at the Orange Farm loveLife Y-Centre in Gauteng, South Africa. The Y-Centre is located in a marginalised community that facilitates access to information, opportunity and services that young people would otherwise not have access to.

loveLife Chief Executive Grace Matlhape added: "I'm delighted to be working together with THINK WISE on a community project that integrates cricket into our positive lifestyle approach to HIV-prevention. I hope that this project will roll out to more of our centres in the near future."

About loveLife

loveLife promotes healthy lifestyles among South African teenagers. The loveLife campaign combines a sustained high-powered multi-media campaign with nationwide community-level outreach and support programmes for youth. loveLife's programmes are implemented by a national youth volunteer service corps known as groundBREAKERs in partnership with more than 230 community-based non-government organisations, 5000 schools and 500 government clinics across South Africa. Major funding for loveLife is provided by the South African Government and the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.

loveLife Y-Centre are multi-purpose facilities for young people, providing a range of entertainment, sports and educational opportunities. The Y-Centres offer youth-friendly clinics and counseling for teens. These venues feature sports and computer facilities as well as contraceptives and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases. Peer educators are trained to run events at their schools and speak publicly about issues such as sex and relationships.

About THINK WISE:

The THINK WISE initiative builds on a long-term partnership between the ICC, the joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), UNICEF and the Global Media AIDS Initiative (GMAI) that for more than six years has reached out to the cricketing community to work together to respond to global AIDS crisis.

By working with some of the game's top players, the THINK WISE partnership aims to:

· Raise awareness about the AIDS epidemic within the cricket community

· Address stigma and discrimination surrounding the disease and experienced by people living with and affected by HIV

· Encourage informed decision making and safe behaviours to continue to prevent new infections through targeted information and outreach.

The THINK WISE partnership seeks to educate cricket players, coaches, commentators, broadcasters, volunteers and spectators about the AIDS epidemic, particularly around prevention, and deliver these messages at major ICC events and international matches around World AIDS Day.

The THINK WISE community projects partner with local organisations in high HIV prevalence areas to help provide education on life skills through cricket activities.

To find out more details about the THINK WISE partnership and to view the public service announcements go to:http://www.thinkwisecricket.com