Story
TARGETS
<£1500 by End of Jan 2009
The FULL £2200 by Feb 18th
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Leaving date confirmed: 21st Feb 2009!
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What ‘Kick 4 Life’ is all about
K4L is a charity which delivers a ‘Development through Football’ initiative in Lesotho; one of the poorest countries in the world, with a very high rate of HIV infection.
Since launching in 2007 K4L has focused its efforts on the pioneering ‘Test Your Team’ campaign which consists of a series of one day football tournaments and activities where HIV education, counseling and testing, as well as basic health screening and vaccinations are all provided on site.
In addition K4L delivers a six-week Good Health Through Sport curriculum which uses the theme of sport to teach young people about the dangers of HIV and Aids Specifically how to prevent infection, as well as breaking down the stigma and dispelling myths surrounding the virus. 
The Tour
In February 2009 I will be participating in a tour of in Lesotho, Southern Africa; one of the poorest nations in the world and an average life expectancy of under 35!
Lesotho is a nation devastated by the disease of HIV/AIDS, with one of the worst levels of infection rates globally.
Kick4Life (Registered Charity No: 1112133) is a charity that uses football to tackle poverty and disease in the developing world. The charity provides HIV/AIDS awareness sessions in developing world communities and schools through football related events and in February I will be a part of the tour!
K4L will be running an innovative health programme called 'Test Your Team'
The Test Your Team campaign consists of a series of one day football tournaments or festivals for hundreds of school children. HIV education and HIV testing is provided on-site. Teams earn tournament points for completing HIV educational sessions, getting HIV tested, and for winning matches. 
The campaign targets all youth (10-18 years) and teams are made up of an equal number of boys and girls. 
Football is used to educate and motivate individuals for testing in an informal and entertaining environment and attracts at-risk individuals to the events
I will be a part of the 'Test your team' campaign, playing as a goal keeper for an all stars team that will play with and against local teams during these fantastic one day tournaments.
The visit of an English team to is something that generates excitement in the country, and there will also be opportunities for us squad members to speak to the media about the work of K4L.
All of the participants (including my self) are trained in HIV prevention delivery before flying out and on arrival, and we will all participate in delivering education sessions at schools, directly contributing to supporting K4L's engagement targets.
In order for this tour to take place squad members are fundraising for Kick 4 Life. We have set a target of £2200.
This video shows exactly what I and Kick 4 life will be doing over in !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdvkQ_trq5I
Our goals and key objectives for the tour include
- Use football to educate youth about HIV/AIDS education Encourage young people to know their HIV status by creating an atmosphere of positive peer pressure, removing stigma fear and ignorance around testing
- Provide free and confidential HIV testing and counseling.
- Identify children who are HIV positive linking them with immediate medical follow up
- Spread awareness of HIV and the availability of free testing and treatment.
- Encourage families to bring their small children in for screening and testing.
In order to make this tour a reality for me, and more importantly to enable us to make a difference I need to raise a total of £2200. The money that people will give will have a huge DIRECT impact on the lives of the children in .
Without you this will not happen! So please.
Thank you for visiting my fundraising page and also taking your time out to read this. 
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A little about me:
I am a 21 year old from Milton Keynes. A recent graduate of Loughborough University, obtaining a degree in International Economics with many of my modules geared towards development economics which is a great passion of mine.
In the future I wish to work with a charity such as Kick 4 Life and dedicate my life to making a difference in areas that need it most!
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Feel free to visit the K4L website for more information:
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Ran a 10k race at Wooburn Park to raise money on the 14/Sep/2008
&
The Tesco BIG FUN RUN in MILTON KEYNES 12/Oct/2008
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Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor me: Kick 4 Life will receive your money faster and, if you are a taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you.
So please sponsor me now!
Many thanks once again for your support.
David Haynes