In partnership with the NGO supported by the UN Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), they launched the End Polio Campaign ahead of the 2025 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) which begins in Morocco on December 21.
“Polio is a disease we simply have to take seriously” said Naby Keïta of the Guinea national team who plays for Hungarian club Ferencváros.
Other football greats are Sébastien Haller (Ivory Coast), Fabrice Ondoa (Cameroon), Rodolfo Bodipo Díaz (Equatorial Guinea), Michael Essien (Ghana) and Bruno Ecuele Manga (Gabon).
Progress and setbacks
Decades of global collaboration have driven back polio – a highly contagious and debilitating disease that once paralyzed more than 1,000 children a day.
These efforts saved an estimated 20 million boys and girls from paralysis and 1.5 million lives, the GPEI said.
The public-private partnership is led by national governments with six partners, including the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
Although Africa has made enormous progress towards eradication, polio outbreaks continue in several countries, putting children around the world at risk.
Progress in eradicating the disease is threatened by budget cuts, conflict, vaccine hesitancy and strained health systems, making this final stage of eradication the most difficult.
“My dream is that Africa is completely eradicated from polio. Africa, it is our turn to give polio a red card,” said Fabrice Ondoa, a former member of the Cameroon national team.
Social Media Challenge
Football stars are sharing their journey of perseverance and have launched a challenge on social media to show parents and leaders that even the toughest obstacles can be overcome.
With the polio game now going into overtime, they are inviting people to grab four things: a soccer ball, a bottle, their phone and a friend.
The goal is to knock the bottle down as far as possible and nominate someone who should take the #KickOutPolio challenge.
Then post the video on social media, tag a friend and your favorite footballer using the campaign hashtag.
“We know that in Africa polio is a big problem and we have to fight this very serious disease. Now it’s your turn,” said Rodolfo Bodipo Díaz, a former member of the Equatorial Guinea national team and Spanish club Deportivo Alavés.
Cross-border collaboration
Despite ongoing challenges, Africa is taking immense steps to defeat polio.
The GPEI noted that 15 countries vaccinated nearly 200 million children between January and October this year.
“Coordinated campaigns across regions – from the Horn of Africa to the Lake Chad Basin and the Sahel – have demonstrated the power of cross-border collaboration, protecting tens of millions of children,” the report said.
A ten-year-old boy plays football in an internally displaced persons camp in Abushok, Sudan.
“A great victory” to come
The Kick Out Polio campaign is calling on everyone across the continent to support the urgent need to vaccinate every child so that the disease is eradicated for good.
“I have overcome many challenges during my football career to become who I am today. In the same way, I believe that Africa can overcome the challenge of polio eradication and achieve a polio-free future,” said Michael Essien, who played for his native Ghana and English club Chelsea FC.
Bruno Ecuele Manga called on African leaders to unite against polio, insisting that “we must defeat it because we need African youth”, who are the future of the continent.
“In Africa, polio constitutes a real health problem, particularly among children,” adds Sébastien Haller. “Once there is no more polio, it will be a great victory. »
A girls’ team at the Play2Remember tournament at the Togetherness Cooperative Center in Kigali, Rwanda.
Publicado anteriormente en Almouwatin.
