Manchester United stars Ryan Giggs, Rio Ferdinand and Dong Fangzhuo recently took time out of the club's Far East Tour for a meeting with three children whose lives have been affected by HIV/AIDS.
The meeting was organized by UNICEF, Manchester United's global charity partner in support of China's Children and AIDS campaign which puts children at the forefront of the fight against HIV and AIDS.
Dr Yin Yin Nwe, UNICEF China representative said, "All of us can make a difference in the lives of children affected by HIV and AIDS. First, we need to listen. Listen to the reality of children's lives and design effective responses; second, we must learn the facts about AIDS and that HIV is not transmitted through everyday contact, and finally, we must support the implementation of China's strong anti-discrimination laws."
Rio Ferdinand spoke to nine year old Mei Mei about her life. She lost her father to AIDS, and due to the stigma, her mother did not get tested immediately and is now very sick. They moved from their village, where the rest of their family still lives, to the city where Mei Mei's mother can get treatment. Mei Mei has had to drop out of school to care for her sick mother.
The aim of the meeting with the players was to break the barrier of stigma by publicly dispelling the most common myths about HIV/AIDS and promoting the facts. Photographs of the footballers and children playing together will demonstrate that HIV is not transmitted by playing together, holding hands and hugging and that people affected by HIV/AIDS have the same rights as all people.
UNICEF Ambassador Ryan Giggs said,: "It is tragic to hear that these children are hiding the truth about their lives because they are scared that people will discriminate against them. I hope that by being here today we can help raise awareness amongst the public and our fans in China about the real facts on AIDS — children and families affected by HIV/AIDS have the same rights as everyone else. We would like to ask everyone to please learn the facts. Stigma and discrimination against these young people should no longer exist."
