CECAFA Stresses Power of Football to Fight Malaria

The council of east and central African football Associations (CECAFA) has urged the usage of football power in the global fight against the killer disease malaria prior to its senior Tusker challenge cup opening today in Dar es Salaam.

Secretary General Nicholas Musonye has delivered this message at the opening ceremony of a day-long Malaria awareness workshop for CECAFA media which was co-organized by CECAFA and United Against malaria (UAM) one of the body’s sponsors.

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Captions CECAFA secretary General Mr. Nicholas Musonye addressing at the opening of the workshop

“CECAFA believes that the continuation of fight Malaria campaign through football will yield a very positive result and we are standing firm on this initiative,” CECAFA secretary General Nicholas Musonye said in his opening remarks at the workshop on Wednesday.

Musonye thanked United Against Malaria, a global agency which lobbies for the eradication of malaria throughout the world for its commitment and co-operation with the regional football governing body in terms of the fight against the killer disease.

“The role of media in the fight against this global killer is more important for our campaign. We want your contribution as you did last year,” said Amanda Mulally, one of the driving forces of the United Against Malaria group.

She also stressed that media is the sole device which can make people understand the risk of malaria and raise awareness on prevention.

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United Against Malaria communications officer Mss Amanda Mulally talking to the media

The ‘United Against malaria’ campaign manager David Kyne said in a press statement his medical group was fully satisfied with having two strong partners in the CECAFA region. He hoped to win their goal in the fight against Malaria.

“We have seen that by delivering messages on prevention and treatment through football, we can encourage football fans to take action to help protect themselves and their families from malaria,” the United Aginst Malaria camping Manager David Kyne said in his press statement Wednesday.

CECAFA and United Against Malaria have been partners in the fight Malaria campaign for the past two years and pledged to continue the campaign until they have won their dreams.

Shafi’i Mohyaddin Abokar is the NewsBlaze Somalia reporter. Shafi’i has extensive experience in journalism, international relations, and football management. He is the founder of Somali Sports Press Association, a long-time sports journalist and a member of the International Sports Press Association.

Shafi’i has a Master’s Degree in international Relations obtained at De Montfort University in Leicester and a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Multimedia journalism from the University of Northampton. The photo shows Shafi’i in action while at CAF Centre of Excellence in Cameroon.