Arthur Ashe Tennis: Youth cautioned about HIV/AIDS
Feb 23, 2020
The program empowered Ugandan youth through the sport of tennis and provided HIV/AIDS education throughout the country.
TENNIS ARTHUR ASHE TENNIS PROGRAM
Ugandan youngsters have been cautioned to be mindful that HIV/AIDS still exists so that they continue taking care of themselves.
Speaking to some of the participants of the Arthur Ashe Tennis grand finale on Saturday at Lugogo, U.S. Mission Uganda Charge' d' Affaires Christopher Krafft said they have to work with everyone to sensitize the public about the dangers of HIV.
"Nearly 1000 people in Uganda are infected with HIV every week, which means this disease is still a significant health problem. We all must take personal responsibility to reduce the spread of this disease", stated Krafft.
The U.S. Mission partnered with the Tartan Burners Athletic Club, the Uganda Tennis Association (UTA), and the Uganda Network of Young People Living with HIV&AIDS (UNYPA) to have the project implemented.
Moses Nsubuga, aka, Supercharger a renowned HIV activist and musician cautioned youngsters to always be mindful of their lives.
"You must be very careful about your lives. Don't test using your eyes since you can't tell if someone is infected or not," he noted.
The program empowered Ugandan youth through the sport of tennis and provided HIV/AIDS education throughout the country. 250 students from across the country participated in the final.
The program that started five months ago has empowered quite a number of youths in Kampala, Hoima, Jinja, Gulu, Arua, and Kalangala through tennis and also delivered HIV/AIDS education.
In the grand finale exhibition match, Uganda top players David Oringa and Simon Ayella managed to defeat Phil Dimon and DeMark Schulze that represented Team USA, 8-3.
In other matches played, Emmanuela Gasim beat Peace Atim 7-1 in the singles to win the girls final while Rogers Tumukunde defeated Reagan Rackara 7-2 to win the boys final.
The program is named after Arthur Ashe, the first and only African American Tennis player to win the US Open and Wimbledon Singles title. He was also the first African-American man to earn the number 1 ranking in the world.
After he was diagnosed with HIV/AIDS that he contracted through a blood transfusion in 1992, Ashe became an activist. He advocated for safe sex and education. He also raised money and awareness about the disease.
Ashe eventually succumbed to the disease in 1993.
Arthur Ashe Tennis Program
Results
Grand finale exhibition match
Uganda v USA
D.Oringa /S.Ayella bt P.Dimon/D. Schulze: 8-3
Final
Singles
Boys
R .Tumukunde bt R.Rackara: 7-2
Girls
E.Gasim bt P. Atim" 7-1