Christian Aid has teamed up with other charities to host a five-day youth football tournament in South Africa aimed at raising awareness of HIV prevention and treatment among young people.

The organisation said that with the excitement surrounding the approaching World Cup, it was easy to forget that South Africa had the highest HIV rate in the world.

It is hosting the Bopha Siyakshona tournament with partners PACSA (Pietermaritzburg Agency for Christian Social Awareness), TackleAfrica and Alive & Kicking.

From 5 to 10 April, some 300 British, German and South African youths from a variety of religious, social and ethnic backgrounds will come together near Durban to compete in the friendly.

Christian Aid said the tournament would promote positive social education on HIV prevention and treatment among young people at risk in particular.

"With football’s potential to unite and influence, the key aims of the football tournament are to reduce HIV transmission and increase HIV testing, to fight stigma and discrimination, to promote youth leadership and development, and to help break down social barriers by exposing youth to different backgrounds, people, peers and situations,” said Rachel Baggaley, head of Christian Aid’s HIV Team.

“South Africa desperately needs more funding for HIV prevention and care, and in the KwaZulu-Natal province alone 39% of the population are HIV-positive, so we hope that the tournament will not only galvanise and prioritise the South African economy but also its HIV programmes.”

The footballs, produced by Alive & Kicking, are fairtrade and carry educative health messages relating to HIV and TB on them.

“This tournament is an excellent example of a programme that is maximising its impact in Africa through sourcing balls that are made and designed by previously unemployed workers across Africa, 55% of whom had never been in formal employment,” says Will Prochaska, director of Alive & Kicking.

Each participant is being encouraged to take home one of the balls to further help spread positive health messages about HIV within their communities.

“We are delighted to be involved with The Footballs for Life Project in South Africa and can’t wait to get started!” adds Ben Maitland, chairman of TackleAfrica, a UK-based organisation that uses football as a vehicle to increase young people's understanding of HIV in their communities.

“We look forward to working with PACSA, Christian Aid and Alive & Kicking to deliver a project the children will enjoy and be inspired by.”