Monday, 2013-01-21
Ballack back on the pitch in South Africa.

In his role as UNAIDS International Goodwill Ambassador, Michael Ballack spent three days in South Africa on a mission to raise awareness on HIV and AIDS. During the trip, he had the opportunity to visit different health clinics and projects and learn about some of the challenges people affected with HIV in South Africa faces.

South Africa is the country in the world with the highest number of people living with HIV. This has various reasons, but lack of access to information and treatment is a big issue as well as stigma and discrimination associated with the disease, as it often prevents people from getting tested, disclosing their status and accessing treatment. At a specialized Men's Health's clinic, Health4Men, Michael Ballack had the opportunity to speak to men living with HIV and hear their personal stories - and all confirmed how fear, stigma and ignorance have been affecting their lives and they underlined the importance of having access to information and no judgmental treatment.

On his official UNAIDS mission, Ballack wanted to use his outreach and platform to raise awareness, help to adress discrimination issues and especially educate the next generation about the facts of HIV and how to avoid getting infected. "I think we all have a role to play in the game of ending AIDS and I am convinced that football is a great tool to bring about change," he says. Despite the many challenges, South Africa is also showing leadership in the fight against AIDS.


During the mission Ballack also visited Grassroot Soccer, a very successful football project in Soweto, which not only coaches the children the great game of football, it also empowers the children to make safe life choices educating them about HIV and AIDS. The German government is facilitating similar projects, which all have proven to be a great way of reaching the young. On the pitch, Ballack together with UNAIDS football talented Executive Director, Michel Sidibe, took the opportunity to "kick the ball" with the children, who all enjoyed the coaching of the experienced players. "Football connects," says Michael Ballack, "and I am happy to contribute with my messages."

Ballack also had the great opportunity to briefly meet the President of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, as well as with other Head of States from Africa. "This is a great opportunity," Ballack said. "The world is looking to Africa for world-class football at the current tournament and we should use the opportunity and attention to talk about HIV and AIDS."

Michael Ballack has been supporting UNAIDS since 2006 and is currently planning other outreach activities. You can read more about his trip to South Africa here.