Frö till en afrikansk fotboll utan alkohol

Konferensen i Arusha har lämnat efter sig rejäla kickar. Nedan en person som vill ta sig an alkohol för att minska problemen. Och vilket instrument han har att spela på. Ett väldigt uppskattande mail ifrån en högt placerad fotbollsledare. Hans organisation är med i den alkoholpolitiska alliansen i Uganda, fast inte vår partner - än.

Vi är många som ska ta åt oss av det här berömmet. Jag tänker ta min del av kakan.

/ Per-Åke Andersson
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Dear Per-Ake,

Hoping this email finds you well and health. I was inspired by the conversation we had last Tuesday night during the cultural night. The work you do and history of IOGT-NTO Movement is simply fascinating.

Like I mentioned in our conversation on Tuesday night, the conference greatly opened my eyes to the critical need of actively joining the alcohol fight, it's use and abuse. It was a privilege, an honour and turned into an obligation to act now to save lives and families ruined by alcohol.

My family has never had an alcohol problem, my dad never drunk, my mum is a social drinker-you can easily count the bottles of beer she drinks a year and neither do I drink. Well as in our work of Youth Alive (working with children, adolescents and young adults to lead health and proactive life styles) we encounter individuals and groups with alcohol problems, I had never well appreciated the effects of alcohol abuse on individuals, families and communities until I attended the conference last week. The reality of everyday effects of alcohol such as knife crime, road accidents, homicide, gun crimes, kidnap, rape and exposure to HIV/AIDS infections clearly came to the fore. It was a reality check for me and thus I committed to do to something and do something "NOW".

Am going to begin my fight using sports especially football. Like I mentioned, I am Board member and Director of Football Strategy with the biggest football team in East Africa and among the top twenty in Africa called SC Villa. Through the Sc Villa platform and that of the Uganda Super League (the Ugandan Elite league), we shall begin the fight.

Footballers as role-models have a big part to play in this. Am still concreatizing the concept and I will share it with you.

Thanks IOGT, these two days have sprung me into action.

Kind regards

Joseph Kanaaba

CEO
Youth Alive Uganda
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(CEO = VD)