LOVE PLUS STREETBALL 2011 - SPORT AND EDUCATION IN ONE   PLACE

Based on many surveys, using games and music is a very efficient tool for spreading information and knowledge among youth. For the third time, UNFPA supported Kosovo Population Fund (KOPF) in organization of the event "Love Plus StreetBall 2011", as one of the components of the joint UNFPA's, UNICEF's and WHO's project called "Improving Health of Women and Children of Kosovo" funded by Luxembourg Governement.

Despite numerous trainings which UNFPA and KOPF organize all around Kosovo, many young people still remain uninformed in the area of reproductive health and safe sex. Therefore, young peer educators from KOPF came up with the idea to organize such campaign that uses basketball, the very popular sport among youth in Kosovo, as a tool to raise-awareness on reproductive health issues.

On 7 th of May 2011, 24 basketball teams from almost all over Kosovo competed against each other. For the first time in the history of the Love Plus streetball tournaments, there were also two women teams, and one of them even made it to the final. The games were eagerly cheered up by numerous audiences. The biggest applause in the end were given to the winning team called "Aisha Hurricane", to the best dunk winner Berti Bihina, as well as to the best player of the competition Albarit Berisha, who won the main prize - 3 year scholarship at Univerzum College.

  In order to achieve the main goal of the Love Plus Streetball - to raise awareness on sexual and reproductive health issues- peer educators distributed more than 5000 condoms, 2500 leaflets, and 2000 brochures. Except educational materials, more than 2000 young people listened to Misrad Ferati, a well known actor and the moderator of event, who was continually delivering messages to raise awareness on condom use, family planning, unwanted pregnancies, HIV/AIDS, and other sexually transmitted infections.

World Population Day is an annual event, observed on July 11th, which seeks to raise awareness of global population issues. The event was established by the Governing Council of theUnited Nations Development Programme in 1989. It was inspired by the public interest in 5 Billion Day on July 11th 1987, approximately the date on which the world's population reached 5 billion people. For more information on the UNFPA Global marking of World Population Day, please click here.

During the week July 6th-July 11th, the United Nations Agencies in Kosovo , lead by UNFPA, in partnership with Kosovo authorities and civil society will hold a series of roundtable discussions to mark the theme of the 2009 United Nations World Population Day - "Responding to the Economic Crisis: Investing in Women is a Smart Choice" .

The issues effecting Women's Economic and Social Status in Kosovo will be addressed by a series of debates including representatives of Civil Society, Minority Groups and government throughout the week.

Women are one of the most effective agents of change worldwide, and it is essential that decision makers to protect women's ability to earn income, keep their daughters in school, and obtain reproductive health information and services, including family planning. These are the factors that make or break a family's future. Without immediate rights-based action, today's economic crisis could trigger a spiral down into worse poverty that lasts for generations and has an adverse effect on the most vulnerable of society.

More information to follow regarding time, date and location of the roundtable discussions.

Contact: bodnarova@unfpa.org

UNFPA Holidays - Year 2011

A LIST OF EVENTS IN 2011