Preventing HIV/AIDS through skills

By Zhang Jin

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and Manchester United football club hosted an event on Saturday in Hangzhou, to promote skills-based education about HIV prevention among young people.

John Shiels, CEO of the Manchester United Foundation, and soccer  stars Dimitar Berbatov and Michael  Carrick (third to fifth from  the right, back) pose for photos with children and teachers involved  in the "Skills for Life in a Box" project in Hangzhou, eastern China's  Zhejiang Province, on July 25, 2009. [Photo: CRIENGLISH.com]

John Shiels, chief executive officer of the Manchester United Foundation, Phil Townsend, media director of Manchester United, and soccer stars Dimitar Berbatov and Michael Carrick, met with 10 school children in the capital of eastern China's Zhejiang Province, as part of the "Skills for Life in a Box" project during the last stop on their pre-season Asia tour.

The project, jointly funded by UNICEF and the Chinese government under a 10-year "United for UNICEF" partnership, helps children develop skills to prevent the transmission of HIV, reduce the stigma of the disease and end discrimination against people infected with HIV and AIDS.

More than 560,000 children in 290 schools in China have received "Skills for Life in a Box" kits. Each box contains educational material, games and sports equipment to provide essential information about HIV prevention.