SI: Sony And JICA Team Up To Combat HIV/AIDS

[Christopher]

Earlier this year from June 24 to July 3 2009, The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Sony Corporation jointly implemented “JICA and Sony For the Next Generation in Ghana 2009,” a Public Private Partnership project aiming to raise awareness of the HIV/AIDS issues that form an integral part of the UN’s Millennium Development Goals. As part of this project, Sony brought its latest high resolution projection system (a Blu-Ray player, a 200-inch giant screen, a projector, an audio mixer and an audio amplifier) to the Project for HIV and AIDS Prevention through Education (HAPE project) sites. The JICA-supported HAPE project aims to reduce HIV prevalence among young people by focusing on prevention through reduction of high-risk behavior. It is being implemented in collaboration with organizations such as the Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana (PPAG) from October 2005 to September 2009 in 181 communities across seven cities in the Eastern and Ashanti Regions of Ghana.

At the project sites, Sony conducted public viewing events for the people of the local communities. The screenings were of football matches, including live coverage of the FIFA Confederations Cup 2009 and matches featuring Ghana from the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Through the duration of this project, approximately 9,000 people gathered in the seven cities across the Eastern and Ashanti regions to watch Sony’s high-definition broadcasts of football matches (compared to usual attendance of approximately 3,000). Furthermore, approximately 1,100 youths and adults visited HIV/AIDS testing sites and took the HIV test, roughly three-times the usual turnout. In addition, football is considered to be the most popular sports in Ghana; however, TV diffusion rate is still low at 21% that most people cannot watch football matches and support their national team.

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