England stars Rio Ferdinand, Gary Neville and David James are currently heading an FA delegation in Malawi on a two-day goodwill mission to promote AIDS awareness and prevention.
In what has come to be known as "The Year of Africa", as Britain puts the continent high on its international agenda, football is playing its part by providing assistance in a country where over 60% of the population lives on less than one US Dollar a day.
The plight of one of the world's poorest countries has undoubtedly been deeply exacerbated by the African AIDS pandemic. Life expectancy in Malawi has dropped to just 39 as some 86,000 people die from AIDS annually and 14.4% of 15-49 year-olds are now infected with HIV.
It is hoped that having the three England stars engaging young people in a nation mad on English football will help to de-stigmatize HIV/AIDS, encourage prevention and highlight treatments in England's UEFA-CAF Meridian Project partner country.
Day one certainly seems to have supported these arguments. In the morning the players were rapturously received by thousands at the Civo stadium in Lilongwe, before taking part in football activities involving various HIV and AIDS prevention messages.
They talked to the young Malawians on a very personal level, discussing how goals in life might be achieved and how they could avoid obstacles to achieving them such as HIV/AIDS.
In the afternoon the England stars were visibly moved by visits to an HIV/AIDS clinic and a children's hospital, as sufferers told of how they discovered they were HIV positive and how it has affected their lives.
"I am overwhelmed with what I saw in the hospital and the HIV/AIDS clinic," said England 'keeper David James. "The pandemic has seriously affected Malawi."
Manchester United's Gary Neville added: "Western countries have a lot to do in order to help countries like Malawi overcome their problems."
Whilst more can certainly be done Executive Director of The FA, David Davies, was confident that the HIV/AIDS messages were being heard.
"Anyone who believes that football and footballers can’t make a difference should be here today," he said.
"If as a result of the players being here they save a single life, and if on top of that they give pleasure to people who are leading their lives in very difficult circumstances, then the effort that is being made is well worth while."
As the impact of their appearance became apparent, Rio Ferdinand called for more players to give their time to the cause, saying: "If more football stars were involved in AIDS awareness messages it would make a lot of difference in the pandemic."
Only the passion of these three England internationals, and that of the numerous organisations and philanthropic individuals backing the trip, has made it a possibility, and Davies duly expressed his gratitude.
"This has been a joint project with a large number of individuals and organisations to which we will be eternally grateful," he said.
"There are very few opportunities in the hectic schedule of English football when players can do something like this, but we have found a window to do it with their active support and enthusiasm.
"The players have been working with us on this project over many months," he added, "they recognise that football can be a power for good in combating the scourge of HIV Aids in Africa and they have been determined to make the visit happen."
The FA’s Head of International Relations, Jane Bateman, said: "Whilst our role at The FA is about developing football, the game must act with a social conscience, especially in a country as poor as Malawi.
"As one of our partners in the UEFA-CAF Meridian Project, we are delighted we can help to propagate a positive message concerning health and education, using the power of football to its full potential."
The trip is being run in partnership with the following organisations:
- Elton John Aids Foundation
- Nationwide
- Umbro
- The PFA
- The Department for International Development (DFID)
- Carlsberg
- McDonalds
- BBC World Service Trust
- Starflight Aviation
- Harrods Aviation