Church uses soccer to ‘kick out HIV’

Key points:

• A United Methodist Church ministry is using soccer as a tool for voluntary HIV testing.
• The goal is to break barriers, reduce stigma and build healthier communities.
• The campaign, supported by a $60,000 grant from the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, is focused on prevention and self-care at refugee settlements.

As World Cup excitement reaches a fever pitch, The United Methodist Church is scoring health goals on soccer fields in Eastern Africa.

The Kick Out HIV campaign uses soccer tournaments to attract refugees and members of their host communities to voluntary HIV testing. The goal is to break barriers, reduce stigma and build healthier communities.

The campaign, supported by a $60,000 grant from the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, is part of the denomination’s HIV and AIDS efforts focused on prevention and self-care at refugee settlements.

Uganda is home to 1.7 million refugees, the majority of whom are from South Sudan, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to the United Nations Refugee Agency.

Within these settlements, South Sudanese United Methodists have set up churches that are implementing projects like the HIV campaign.

“The reason why we have chosen soccer is that the rate of HIV among youths is high,” said the Rev. Faustino Duku Stephen, dean of superintendents for the Uganda-South Sudan Conference, at a recent tournament. “Youth are the most vulnerable, and we have to mobilize them.”

Eastern and Southern Africa carries the largest share of the global HIV burden, according to UNICEF’s 2024 Snapshot on HIV and AIDS. Of the 1 million adolescents ages 15-19 living with HIV in 2023, 670,000 were from this region. “While steady progress has been made, children and adolescents (0-19 years) fare worse on HIV testing, treatment initiation, treatment adherence, and viral suppression than all other age groups,” the report said.

The recent tournament at the Imvepi Settlement in the church’s Terogo District drew 24 teams with members from both refugee and host communities, transforming the soccer field into a hub of health awareness and fellowship.

While players battled for victory on the pitch, health workers offered confidential HIV testing and counseling on the sidelines. The excitement of the matches encouraged participation from groups who might otherwise avoid testing, Stephen said.

“The United Methodist Church is holistic,” he said. “We do not only look at the spiritual part, but also health. When there is a pandemic, we must raise our voice and say ‘No.’ We balance health and spirituality so that we bring all together.”

Malish Kennedy, 29, who works for the Imvepi Youth and Sports Network, said she is grateful for the support from The United Methodist Church.

“Through this tournament, the community will understand their HIV status,” she said. “If they are negative, they must continue abstaining or use protection. If they are positive, counseling will continue, and they will be introduced to medication and regular checkups.”

Juma Jack, who plays for Imvepi Central Football Club, said the initiative allows soccer, which is his passion, to be a bridge to health.

“I joined because of my talent. Soccer can save my life, bring friends, jobs and scholarships. Above all, it removes the fear of HIV testing because once we are gathered with friends, it becomes easier.”

Lokugi Samuel Rombe, a player for veteran team Salam FC, said the soccer tournaments build community.

“The main objective of this tournament is to kick HIV out. What motivates me is the concept itself. It exposes talent, creates friendships and even brings opportunities like sponsorships and jobs. Sports bring peace because people from different cultural backgrounds join together,” he said.

“Before these tournaments, if there was anything to be disseminated to the community, the refugees would come, but the host community would not. When tournaments are organized, both would come, and that peaceful coexistence between refugees and hosts is strengthened.”

Asunta Moriba, 18, plays for the Imvepi Women Central Team. She said she wanted to play soccer with friends to exercise and to promote peace and unity.

“Soccer also educates me and encourages me for free testing about HIV and AIDS.”

Stephen said reaching those not interested in soccer can be a challenge. He noted several resettlement areas in the vast West Nile region, where reaching people requires moving from house to house. “Once we reach them all, we will have won.”

Another hurdle is meeting the other needs of those living in the settlements.

“The problem is that once we bring them together, they have other requests, which the church cannot address. Sometimes the group is too large to contain,” he said. “In addition, as much as we try to maintain confidentiality, they fear stigmatization. They think that if they test positive, others will look at them as already dead.”

Despite these obstacles, the vision remains clear.

“As we preach, we must make sure that the health of the person is also good,” Stephen said. “My wish is to extend this program to South Sudan, to places like Yei River County and Juba County of Central Equatoria State, which is currently the capital city of South Sudan, where our churches are. If resources permit, we will not give up.”

Daniel is the district superintendent for the Koboko District of The United Methodist Church in the Uganda South-Sudan Conference. Chingwe is a communicator for the Zimbabwe East Conference.

News media contact: Julie Dwyer at [email protected]. To read more United Methodist news, subscribe to the free UM News Digest.