White visits disability project as part of HIV/AIDS campaign
In the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007, the Irish cricket team is probably the team which best knows what it is to fight successfully against the odds, having progressed through to the Super Eights in their first ever appearance at the event
22-Mar-2007
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It is no surprise then that the all-rounder in the Irish team, Andrew White, as an ambassador for the Global Campaign on Children and AIDS, on Wednesday visited a non-profit organization in Jamaica working to equip young persons with disabilities with the skills and support they need to meet the challenges of HIV and AIDS.
White visited the Spanish Town-based NGO 3D Projects, a community rehabilitation service "Dedicated to the Development of People with Disabilities." The organisation is a UNICEF partner which has produced a manual and resource material on sexual and reproductive health education and HIV prevention for youth with learning disabilities, with financial and technical assistance from UNICEF. He said the visit was a real eye opener.
"Cricket gives me the opportunity to travel all over the world and opportunities like this help us to see a lot of persons who are less privileged. Cricket has been good to me and this is a way of giving back."
While this was the Irish player's first time working with UNICEF and UNAIDS, he is no stranger to working with children and young people with disabilities. He has done talks and promotional work in schools with special needs children in Ireland. HIV/AIDS is another area which he is ready to tackle.
"I feel the HIV/AIDS campaign is a great cause to work for as AIDS is such a big problem worldwide and I think it is great that the ICC (International Cricket Council) has taken this on board," White stated.
The International Cricket Council, UNAIDS, UNICEF and the Caribbean Broadcast Media Partnership on HIV/AIDS have all teamed up for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 to highlight the situation of children and youth living with and affected by HIV. All these organisations are partners in the Global Campaign "Unite for Children. Unite Against AIDS."
Surrounded by members of the local and international media two days before Ireland's match with the West Indies at Sabina Park, the Irish cricketer spoke to young people at 3D while staff members from the NGO shared information about their work in HIV prevention with the disabled.
UNICEF Representative in Jamaica, Bertrand Bainvel said the personal involvement of cricketers like Andrew White in the campaign was very important as sportsmen are role models who can raise awareness among the public about how HIV and AIDS affect children and spread the message of non-discrimination.
"This 3D project focuses more attention on persons living with disabilities and this highlights the fact that everyone has the right to protection and that we need approaches and tailored responses to children's needs and specific vulnerabilities. We need approaches that are specific to age, to sex and adjusted to the abilities of children and young people to understand the messages."
He stressed the need to recognise the rights of all young people to get skills to protect themselves against HIV infection and also to access prevention, testing, treatment, care and support services.
Miriam Maluwa, UNAIDS Country Coordinator for Jamaica, The Bahamas and Cuba, also highlighted "a fundamental gap" in addressing the issue of HIV and the disabled.
"In the focus on HIV and persons with disabilities there is a gap. There is need for this to be a more comprehensive and integral part of the national response to HIV and AIDS. Communities are doing great work in this area but we need to mainstream it....what we really need is an integrated approach."
The Irish cricketer and teacher of physical education in Belfast, who is doing his part to bat for the needs of the disabled is optimistic that the partnership for Children and AIDS will be effective in reducing the impact of HIV.
"Hopefully the World Cup and the ICC's involvement will help in preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS and if what we do can save even one more life it is worth it," Andrew White said.