While terrorists tragically used the World Cup viewing as a target for their deadly attack in Uganda on July 11, 2010, an Africa Rising partner, Beacon of Hope, used the World Cup viewings as a platform to save lives. Beacon of Hope in Nairobi, Kenya brings hope to women living with and affected by HIV/AIDS within poor communities by empowering and equipping them to meet their spiritual, physical, emotional, economic and family needs in a sustainable way.
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| Beacon of Hope Health Clinic provides free Voluntary Counseling and Testing for HIV/AIDS among other services |
The clinic at Beacon of Hope serves men and women. The problem is that not very many men come to receive HIV testing or treatment. In response, Beacon of Hope staff decided to take the clinic to where men were gathered and a captive audience- World Cup viewings. The approach was extremely successful and resulted in many men receiving free testing and counseling on HIV/AIDS and their status.
The innovation was possible because Beacon of Hope knew the challenges of their community (lack of men coming for testing), were looking for creative ways to overcome the challenges (taking the testing to where men were gathered), and were ready to respond and take action when a time-sensitive opportunity presented itself (World Cup games).
Africa Rising is proud to partner with grassroots Africa organizations that save lives through their own unique innovations.
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