Ayo Ajayi
In commemoration of this year’s World Malaria Day, the Youth Empowerment and Development Initiative (YEDI) is set to organise a special community football event tagged “Kick Against Malaria Football Tournament,” in line with this year’s global theme, “#EndMalaria For Good.”
The World Malaria Day which is celebrated across the world every April 27, is this year targeted at combating the scourge of Malaria using the convening power of football as an effective teaching platform for mobilising and empowering young people and communities on malaria prevention and treatment.
The tournament will kick-off 10am at Mushin Youth Centre (Bishop Aggey), Mushin, Lagos on Saturday, April 29, 2017. Admission is free.
The tourney which is proudly supported by global energy giant – ExxonMobil, the largest private-sector grant-maker in the fight against malaria – will take place alongside other activities including free medical checkup, Malaria testing and treatment, distribution of long-lasting insecticidal treated nets, key messages and health talk on Malaria, music and refreshment, among other activities.
World Malaria Day was established in May 2007 by the 60th session of the World Health Assembly, a decision-making body of the World Health Organization (WHO). It is an occasion to highlight the need for continued investment and sustained political commitment to support countries in their efforts to control and eliminate Malaria as well as provide education and understanding of Malaria.
On such occasions, well-meaning individuals, multinational organisations, and corporations like ExxonMobil, and grassroots organisations such as YEDI, work together to provide free Malaria education, testing, treatment, awareness and advocacy for policy changes to push back the scourge.
The Youth Empowerment and Development Initiative (YEDI) is a Nigerian NGO committed to introducing effective, innovative, and most times, tried-and-tested development approaches that are ready for adaptation in the Nigerian setting. Established in 2011 with Headquarters in Lagos, represented in Abuja and two States (Akwa-Ibom and Ogun), YEDI focuses on educating, empowering and inspiring the development of individuals and communities especially children and youth.
YEDI engages over 150 youth volunteers carrying out Malaria, HIV/AIDS prevention and sexuality education interventions across project sites through in-school and out-of-school approaches. Since inception in 2011, YEDI has benefitted over 100,000 young people in at-risk communities across Nigeria. YEDI’s interventions are targeted at psychosocial and behavioural changes – malaria, HIV/AIDS education, modelling healthy behaviours, gender-related issues, healthy relationships, personal hygiene, as well as providing links to local, youth-friendly health services.
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