⚽🏐 Pneumonia Football and Netball Bonanza
Scoring Goals for Health. Saving Lives Through Sport.
The Pneumonia Football and Netball Bonanza is a unique, sports-driven health awareness campaign organized by Focus on Ability Society (FOAS) in Karonga, Malawi. Funded by the Mérieux Foundation and the Every Breath Counts Coalition as part of the World Pneumonia Day 2022 Small Grants, the initiative used community football and netball matches to raise awareness about pneumonia—the world’s leading infectious killer of children and adults.
Held across several villages in Kaporo, the bonanza gathered hundreds of youth and families to enjoy local sports while receiving life-saving pneumonia information. Through match commentaries, pre-game health talks by medical professionals, and customized messaging, the event reached remote communities with vital education on the signs, causes, and prevention of pneumonia.
This innovative campaign combined the passion of sport with the urgency of public health to turn spectators into informed health advocates—proving that awareness can be both fun and life-saving.
Scoring for Health. Tackling Pneumonia Through the Power of Sport.
The Pneumonia Football and Netball Bonanza is a creative community health initiative organized by Focus on Ability Society (FOAS), aimed at raising awareness about pneumonia—the leading infectious killer of children and adults worldwide. Hosted in the rural communities of Kaporo, Karonga District, Malawi, the event used the unifying power of sports to educate, engage, and empower people at grassroots level.
The project was made possible with support from the Mérieux Foundation and the Every Breath Counts Coalition, who selected FOAS as one of only 11 global winners of the World Pneumonia Day 2022 Small Grants Awards. With funding and global solidarity behind it, the Bonanza took place from October 24 to November 12, 2022, culminating in a vibrant community celebration of World Pneumonia Day on November 12.
🎯 Why Pneumonia Awareness Matters
Pneumonia is responsible for more deaths than AIDS, measles, and malaria combined. In Malawi alone, an estimated 4,900 children under five die from pneumonia each year, according to UNICEF. These deaths are preventable—yet persist, especially in rural areas where knowledge of pneumonia symptoms, prevention, and treatment is limited.
Recognizing this gap, FOAS designed a campaign that uses sports to save lives.
⚙️ How the Bonanza Worked
The Bonanza involved:
Football and netball tournaments between youth teams from neighboring villages in Kaporo.
Health education messages embedded in match commentaries to attract attention and improve recall.
Pre-match talks by local health professionals providing crucial insights on pneumonia signs, symptoms, and prevention.
Distribution of IEC materials and face-to-face interaction with families on pneumonia and broader respiratory health.
With sports as a crowd-puller, the event ensured maximum community engagement, particularly among hard-to-reach populations and young people—those often overlooked in traditional health campaigns.
🌟 Highlights & Achievements
Reached hundreds of community members, including women, youth, and children.
Created a fun, non-clinical space for health learning—making difficult conversations easier.
Engaged local health workers and village leaders to build trust and foster sustainability.
Strengthened FOAS’s role as a community-driven force for inclusive health education.
“The football drew us in, but the messages stayed with us. I didn’t know pneumonia could kill so fast—now I’ll watch my children more carefully.”— Parent from Chiwondo Village
📈 Impact Beyond the Game
The Pneumonia Bonanza was more than a sporting event—it was a community health awakening. It demonstrated that:
Local culture and entertainment can be powerful tools for health advocacy.
Youth engagement is essential in fighting diseases that affect all age groups.
Sports and public health can work hand-in-hand to build stronger, healthier communities.
🤝 Partners and Supporters
This life-saving campaign was made possible by:
Every Breath Counts Coalition
Local health clinics and community volunteers in Kaporo
Together, we proved that raising awareness can be joyful, inclusive—and impactful.
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