YANGON (3 April 2014) – Myanmar football stars – Kyaw Ko Ko for the men and Than Than Htwe for the women – will be the face of ‘Protect the Goal’ campaign which is aimed at HIV prevention.
The program in Myanmar is backed by the UNAIDS, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) which have initial investment of between USD 200,000 and USD 300,000.
“This is your duty, to use your popularity, your duty to the people of Myanmar, not only to the people of Myanmar but to the whole world,” said Zaw Zaw, the president of the Myanmar Football Federation (MFF).
The campaign will feature the footballing duo in advertisements at stadiums during Myanmar National League (MNL) matches.
The ‘Protect the Goal’ campaign was first launched in South Africa at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The campaign has garnered support from around the world and since then UNAIDS has signed cooperation agreements with the Confederation of African Football (CAF), the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF), the South American Football Association (CONMEBOL) and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
The AFC signed their Memorandum of Understanding with UNAIDS back in November 2013 and Myanmar are one of five pilot countries on the continent, along with Cambodia, Philippines, Malaysia, and Thailand.
