The Persipura Ambassadors’ Program:
Persipura Football Club
HIV & AIDS Awareness in Papua
See: PowerPoint Presentation - PDF
By
Anthon Imbenai
Dept of Youth & Sport, Municipality of Jayapura, Papua
Organiser of Persipura Soccer Team
&
Henk Rumbewas
Int. Relations Reps, Papua Branch of the Indonesian National Sports Commission (KONI), Papua Province Facilitator of the Persipura Ambassador’s Program
Asian Forum on Sports Innovation
Jakarta, 30 July 2007
Background
The HIV transmission in Papua has spread beyond the standard populations enganging in high-risk sexual behaviour – female sex workers, men buying sex from them, IDU etc. The epidemic in Papua is quite distinct from the epidemic in the rest of Indonesia, being more generalised, more advanced and mainly being driven by heterosexual transmission, particularly casual sex rather than through the sex industry. The HIV prevalence in Papua (STHP 2006) is 2.4%. Men have a higher rate of partner change (12%) than women (7%), with those young people who commence sexual intercourse at 15 years old being at greater risk of HIV infection than those who commence sex later.
Issues of importance in Papua are the increasingly younger age at first sexual encounter, a higher frequency of pre and extra-marital sex, and a higher frequency of having more than one sexual partner when compared to the rest of the Indonesian society. This may be due to a higher rate of acquisition of new sexual partners in the general population. Higher rates of partner change (casual heterosexual sex) go part way in explaining the particular development of the epidemic in Papua. The high mobility of both men and women puts all Papuans potentially at risk of becoming infected by having unprotected sex.
In 1999 the adult literacy rate for Papua was 64.8% for females and 77.3% for males with the mean years of schooling at for females 4.8 years and 6.4 years for men. Thirty-six percent of the population were without access to health services in 1998, with a human poverty index ranking of 22 out of the then 26 provinces in Indonesia. Knowledge about HIV, condom recognition and availability are much lower than in other parts of Indonesia.
The results of the Rapid Research into the Relationship between Alcohol consumption and sexual behaviour in youth aged 15 -25 years in the city and district of Jayapura 2006, found that there was a strong correlation between the consumption of alcohol and the level of sexual activity; including an increase in anti-social behaviour such as fighting over women, having multiple sexual partners and engaging in commercial sexual transactions with older men.
Alcohol influenced decision making, such as importantly for HIV transmission, forgetting to use a condom. Issues of importance in Papua are the increasingly younger age at first sexual encounter, a higher frequency of pre and extra-marital sex and a higher frequency of having more than one sexual partner when compared to the rest of the Indonesian society.
AusAID partnership with Persipura is aiming at educating young males about HIV transmission in Papua under a program so-called Men’s Sexual Health Awareness for Persipura football teams and mentoring of football teams by Persipura Ambassadors (current and former players). This is in accordance with the output that Government, civil society and private sector partners assisted to update strategies and implement integrated responses to mobilise communities for increasing safer sex practices in Papua.
Persipura Program
Since 2005 IHPCP/AIDS Comission of Papua Province have funded an HIV information campaign, socialising condom use in co-operation with the management and players for Persipura football team. Messages about HIV prevention were broadcasted through a number of ways- ie. RRI (State Radio Station in Jayapura) live broadcast of Persipura Ligina home games with potential audience 1 million; sports Stadium announcement at Persipura home games Ligina with potential audience: 30,000; condom TV ad, screened 100 times; Persipura Baliho& posters, giant helium condom baloon; meetings presentations on sexual health for Persipura team and management.
The Persipura Ambassador’program adopted a specific and unique approach and method. The program introduced a more holistic approach to men’s health, mind, spirit and body. The key messages is harm reduction, condom use, sex with concent, respect for women and reduction of alcohol consumption. The program planned to be conducted in-formally, run through routine player games’schedules. The aims were to raise the feeling of empathy through heart to heart communication apporach, male bonding approach for positive behaviours. The discussions also included provision of better understansing about players’opportunities and hope for carreer in the future.
The Persipura Ambassador’program consisted of two sessions, namely indoor and outdoor training sessions. The briefing at the indoor session for Persipura ambassadors raises awareness about the importance of a holistic approach to means’ health; mind, spirit and body. Key messages are harm reduction; condom use, sex with consent, respect for women and reduction of alcohol consumption. Twelve junior football clubs linked to Persipura invited to send twenty-four players each and the coaches for the 18-23 year old competition, to hear six Persipura Club ambassadors (current and former players) speak about ‘How to be a champion’. Themes discussed included the importance of self discipline, harm reduction relating to alcohol and sex, the importance of being a team player, self respect, respect for your fellow team mates and the opposing team and respect to women. The occasion also screened a film titled ‘Mr Right Guy’, about young people and alcohol use and followed by a discussion, question and answer session.
Six outdoor Training sessions: The current former players conducted a coaching clinic with the young players at the Trikora football grounds in Jayapura on six dates. Pep talk by the players on themes to do with protected sex, reducing alcohol use, respect for women, and how to increase players’self confidence.
The Persipura Ambassador programs estimated has reached at least 350 Persipura players.
Among the obstacles are at issue of what is the Persipura most priority such us scheduling etc. This sometime troubled the smooth process of the program.The Persipura ambassador also need to improve their knowledge of HIV/AIDS and has to develop their public speaking skills in order to create more sustainible program in the future.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Persipura Ambassador’s program is of the most effective strategies in implementing responses in order to mobilise young Papuan (ie young soccer players) for increasing their safer sex practices as responses to the HIV & AIDS epidemic in Papua. This performance of the program is a good example of true investment for the Persipura players for their future. Therefore, it can be argued that this would be a good community level model to be adopted by other soccer clubs in Indonesia.