Cricket and HIV/AIDS join hands.

By: Janice Dayle

A historic Pan-Caribbean call for audiences to "LIVE UP" in this age of AIDS is set for launching in conjunction with the International Cricket Council (ICC) Cricket World Cup 2007 in Kingston, Jamaica. Never before have more than 50 television and radio broadcasters across the Caribbean galvanized efforts to inspire and empower particularly young people to increase their awareness of HIV/AIDS. Aiming ultimately at stemming the spread of this crippling disease across the Caribbean region the Caribbean Broadcast Media Partnership on HIV/AIDS (CBMP), designed the LIVE UP campaign.

"LIVE UP is not a campaign of one broadcaster, one country, or even one year," noted CBMP Steering Committee Chair, Dr. Allyson Leacock. "As the first media-led AIDS education effort to span the entire Caribbean region, LIVE UP will involve major broadcasters on every island working together, across different media but with unified messages and a shared approach, to help turn back this disease and protect the health of our young people. LIVE UP focuses on what young people can do to help stop the spread of HIV/AIDS and how the region can come together to create a more open, supportive environment for people already living with the virus."

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Broadcast across 23 nations, the campaign's message of hope and positive action will enable Caribbean wide audiences to better understand their HIV risk and take personal action in response.

With its multi-platform, this campaign extends HIV/AIDS content across all programming platforms and genres, including: Caribbean focused and diverse, public service announcements (PSAs); Original long-form entertainment and public affairs programming; Complementary local programming developed by national and regional broadcasters; Regular news packages, and; Rights-free programming adapted for the campaign from international broadcast partners, including Black Entertainment Television (BET), MTV, among others.

Initiated only ten months ago, CBMP came together when top media executives from across the region met in Barbados with Kaiser Family Foundation, the Caribbean Broadcast Union and the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation -making a commitment to work together to create new, coordinated media initiatives to help stem the spread of HIV and fight AIDS-related stigma and discrimination in the region. CBMP member companies have agreed to dedicate at least 30 seconds every hour (12 minutes per day) to HIV/AIDS programming and messages.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) and its star players will support this historic effort by making HIV/AIDS the official health focus of the tournament. LIVE UP public service announcements will premiere at the opening of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007, and will be featured throughout the games.

In this hemisphere, The Caribbean is the region most affected by HIV/AIDS and is second only to sub-Saharan Africa in terms of the impact of the disease. AIDS is a leading cause of death among adults (ages 15-44) in the Caribbean, and 250,000 of the region's residents are living with HIV or AIDS. Half of those are women, and a third are young people between the ages of 15-24.

"HIV/AIDS is a Caribbean problem, and LIVE UP is an important step
forward in the Caribbean response," said Sir George Alleyne, UN Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Latin America and the Caribbean. "HIV/AIDS is part of our daily lives, and we must talk about it on television, on the radio, and at a regional event such as the Cricket World Cup."

All campaign programming encourages listeners and viewers to visit a new website (http://www.iliveup.com) to find information, local resources, and personal stories on HIV/AIDS and related issues.

sean

i wonder if they will ever find a cure??that is the big question...

DJ NANNY B. UK1

I AM ONE FOR CHANGE AND WITH EDUCATION I KNOW MY COUNTRY CAN MAKE A CHANGE.

AS FOR ME MEETING OUR FIRST WOMAN P.M IN LONDON ON THE 3/3/07 AND GET THE CHANCE TO SPEAK TO HER ON A 121 ABOUT A FEW PRESSING ISSUES,NOT ONLY WAS I OVER THE MOON TO HEAR THE PLANS SHE HAD FOR THE DEVELOPMENTS OF JA WHEN SHE ADDRESSED THE JAMAICANS WHO WAS PRESENTED IN NUMBERS TO WELCOME HER,BUT AFTER MY 121 I KNOW THAT IF ALL JAMAICANS NO MATTER WHAT PARTY YOU BELONGS TO IF WE COME TOGETHER IN UNITY FOR CHANGE IT WILL HAPPEN IN THE LONG TERM FOR THE FUTURE OF OUR COUNTRY SO WE CAN BUILD A BETTER FUTURE FOR THE NEXT GENERATIONS TO COME.

HON. P.SIMPSON MILLER INVITES ME TO WRITE TO HER AND AM GOING TO DO SO,THEREFOR IF YOU HAVE ONE QUESTION FOR THE P.M on this aids or other issues you can email-nannycandy@hotmail.co.uk as this is a subject that are afecting a lots of children who suffer in silence. DEM NEVA KNOW SAY WE COULD HAVE THE ICC WORLD CUP INNA WE JAMAICA HOW DEM BADMIND WE YARD AND ABRAD BUT MISSION POSSIBLE NU MATTA WHA DEM SAY A JAMAICA MI BELLY TRING DEH-A WAH DEM HEAR BOUT.

THANKS TO THE ORGANISATION THAT WILL BE USEING THIS ICC WORLD CUP AS A PLATFORM. WALK GOOD ME PEEPS UNTILL NEXT TIME,ME A BIT BUSY TILL THE END A THE MONTH BUT ME WE TUNE IN FI SEE YOUR COMMENTS,JUST KEEP WAVEING THE FLAG TILL DEM GET THE MESSAGE THAT A CHANGE WE WANT AND IF WE C SAY THE P.M ASLIP UP WE FE REMIND HER OF HER PLANS NOT JUST GIVE HER NEGITIVE VIBES CAS NUF MAN NO LIKE WHEN WOMAN INCHARGE-BIG UP THE REAL MEN DEM OUT DEH WAH A BIG WE UP. DONT BE LIKE SOME A DEE MAROON DEM WAH SEL OUT NANNY OF THE MAROON.BLESSED ONE LOVE.

jaydeebabee

Sister Tania Sky...thank you for your great insightful message. Allow me to introduce you to The Balm In Gilead www.balmingilead.org where the black church responds to HIV/AIDS in the USA. They recently completed the 18th annual week of prayer for HIV/AIDS March 4 to March 10. They are full of resources and educational information for churches and individuals like yourself who are interested in the role of the church in dealing with this pandemic.

I hope you realise that there are church brothers and sisters inflicted with this disease...there are even ministers and pastors who are HIV+. This is not a disease that discriminates. While we pray for protection daily, we still make sure to lock up our doors at night. In the same way, we have to be immersed in the word of God, but also conscious of the need EVEN IN MARRIAGE (in some cases), to be informed and hence well protected. This is not a disease that focuses on morality...the problem is that too much misinformation is out there, and the radio people aim at getting it straight...

The Balm In Gilead recently put out the following message:

HIV/AIDS is a very serious public health crisis in

Black communities. We need every pulpit that

speaks to Black people to raise their voices and

encourage them to speak out about HIV/AIDS in

the following ways:

1. Educate our congregations, our children, our

neighbors and our families about this disease.

There is no cure for HIV/AIDS;

2. Distribute information on HIV/AIDS prevention,

treatment education and care;

3. Encourage individuals to take the HIV/AIDS test.

So many of us are living with the virus that

causes HIV/AIDS and do not know it. Thus, we

are spreading the virus unknowingly to our

wives, husbands, lovers, friends, as well as to

strangers;

4. Develop partnerships with the local health

department and/or AIDS service community that

will support your HIV testing and information

distribution efforts;

Church leaders and congregants across the country unite annually and word during the Black Church Week of Prayer for the Healing healing and eradication of HIV/AIDS.

SHEAHAN STEELE

nice work keep it up

topadtop

Respect for the acknowledgement Dahlea . The more we talk the more we learn , then the more we learn, the more we can do to protect our selves and loved ones .