Kumar took time out of his busy UK tour schedule, ahead of the Test match between England and Sri Lanka at Lord's this Friday, to visit HIV and sexual health charity Terrence Higgins Trust’s (THT) headquarters to meet service users from HIV organisations THT, the International Planned Parenthood Federation, Positively UK, African Health Policy Network, Body & Soul, HIV Sport, YMCA Positive Health and the Bloomsbury Clinic

Kumar is a Champion for the Think Wise campaign, a partnership between the International Cricket Council, UNAIDS and UNICEF, that since 2003 has aimed to raise awareness of HIV and help eliminate discrimination towards people living with HIV. This has been achieved through a series of initiatives including public service announcements, player community visits, and leading stars wearing red ribbons on their shirts in key international matches as a show of support for people living with HIV.

Kumar Sangakkara said: "As a Think Wise champion and cricketer, I want to help educate people on how to protect themselves from HIV. It is important that young people around the world have access to the right information to help them make informed decisions and break down stigma and discrimination.”

Sir Nick Partridge, Terrence Higgins Trust’s Chief Executive said: “We’re thrilled Kumar is using his sporting fame to support people living with HIV and raise greater awareness of it as a global issue in need of attention. We know that people living with HIV do continue to experience stigma and discrimination and this is something which can only be prevented with better education about the condition.”

There are an estimated 86,500 people living with HIV in the UK, with over a quarter of these undiagnosed, unaware that they are infected. There is a high prevalence of HIV in parts of the globe where cricket is popular, with almost a third of the world’s population living with HIV coming from Test playing countries.
To find out more information about HIV in the UK visit www.myhiv.org.uk.

End

Notes to Editor

1. Terrence Higgins Trust is the UK’s largest HIV and sexual health charity with centres across England, Scotland and Wales. We're here to provide information and advice about HIV and sexual health and offer a range of services including sexual health checks, counselling and support groups. We campaign for a world where people with HIV live healthy lives, free from prejudice and discrimination, and we promote good sexual health as a right and reality for all.Visit www.myhiv.org.uk, our new site for everyone living with HIV in the UK, for accredited information, self management tools, interactive web services and community forums. Terrence Higgins Trust relies on donations to deliver a wide range of services. To make a donation, or to find out about everything that we do visit www.tht.org.uk.
2. The ICC and UNAIDS came together in 2003 under the slogan ‘Run out AIDS’ to address the impact AIDS was having on young people in cricket playing countries. Numerous awareness raising initiatives were implemented through this alliance with the aim to increase the level of understanding and education about HIV and AIDS, and materials such as the Cricket HIV and AIDS Curriculum are used to reach young cricketers in and out of school. In the run up to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 in the Caribbean, UNICEF joined the historic partnership and it was agreed to work together under the banner of the ‘Unite for Children, Unite for AIDS’ global campaign around the 2007 event. At this tournament, the partnership also worked with the Global Media AIDS Initiative. Building on the history and experience, the partners agreed in 2009 to continue the global partnership under the banner of “Think Wise”. At the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, the partners delivered a campaign called ‘Get the facts, protect yourself’ which attracted the support of leading stars such as Kumar Sangakkara, Virender Sehwag and Graeme Smith.