Head In The Game

There is collective evidence of mental health issues emerging (UNICEF 2021), worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. This has led to increased levels of stress and anxiety, particularly for young key populations who navigate the turbulence of adolescence with added challenges of self-stigma, discrimination and marginalization (UNAIDS, 2020). Poor mental health has been shown to be present at much higher rates amongst groups vulnerable to HIV (UNICEF, 2021) such as Commercial Sex Workers (CSW), Men having Sex with Men (MSM), Women having Sex with Women (WSW) and Injecting Drug Users (IDU). To tackle this issue, TackleAfrica in partnership with Espace Confiance will use football drills to promote positive mental health, well-being and address self-stigma amongst key populations aged 16-30yrs at high risk of HIV in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. The project uses a sport-for-development approach, bringing members from high-risk networks of CSW, MSM, WSW and IDU together for recreational football sessions, linking them to psychosocial care and HIV prevention and treatment. The football pitch will serve as a safe space for support, identification of, and resilience to, mental health issues.