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I don’t care about your name, I just want to see you dance!

By GRSweb on February 11, 2010

The following is an excerpt from GRS Intern Eren Munir’s Blog, Eren in Africa.  Posted on 5 of February, 2010.


GRS Intern Eren Munir celebrates with children in Lilongwe, Malawi.

In a lot of ways this past week has been the culmination of my first six months in Malawi. Every single one of our sites – Area 36, Area 25, and Kawale – has recently finished their 10-week GRS HIV education curriculum and as a result we’ve been spending the past couple of days graduating all of the newest members of the GRS family.  All of our coaches and graduating kids have put in a ton of work and effort to get to graduation day, and I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to convey the happiness and joy that fills the room when these kids accept their certificates. Most of the graduating classes put together a poem or a song about GRS to help celebrate the day. I’ve been blown away with the amount of talent and effort that goes into each one of these works of art. I’ve been taking a lot of pictures, and actually a lot of videos too, but as always I won’t be able to post them onto my site because of the terrible Internet here in Malawi. I have a hard enough time posting these blog updates!

Anyway, I’m basically writing this post to discuss two things I’ve enjoyed the most over the past two weeks:

1)  Dancing – I can’t even count the amount of times I’ve been forced to dance in front of hundreds and hundreds of people during my graduation ceremony tour. It seems that Malawians are more concerned with seeing an individual’s dancing ability than anything else. At one graduation ceremony yesterday one of the teachers in charge of the program literally said the following to me after I was done introducing myself: “I don’t care about your name! I want to see you dance!”  After he finished saying those fateful words all of the kids in attendance, close to 1,000 in total, started clapping their hands frantically in eager anticipation of my moves. Needless to say I didn’t disappoint (that is one video I might intentionally be hiding).  The whole dancing thing may seem a little weird at first but when you think about it, it’s pretty awesome. It just shows you how much people around here enjoy life, no matter the circumstances. They could be starving, dying of some disease, in total poverty, but if there’s a beat they will dance and enjoy life for as long as they can. I was trying to think about what would happen in the States if one of the teachers started clapping and waiting for everyone to dance and I immediately recognized the fact that almost every single American kid would just sit in his seat and be weirded out by what was happening. In Malawi, the kids are ready to dance and have fun whenever and that makes things a lot more fun for me.

2) Commitment to GRS – One of the most astounding things I’ve been trying to wrap my head around recently is the level of commitment that these kids show to the fight against HIV/AIDS. As I was sitting through a graduation ceremony yesterday I started asking myself – “Why are these kids even here? Why would they devote so much extra curricular time to our program when there is no tangible benefit to be gained?” In all honesty I was having hard time finding answers to these questions. I mean, we were putting these kids through an intensive 10-week HIV education program, where they devote hours and hours of time outside of school and giving them no tangible reward.  I was imaging myself at that age and thinking about what I would have done back in the day, and I’m pretty sure I would have avoided any sort of serious extra curricular work at all costs.

But then it hit me – these kids don’t need any monetary or tangible rewards for this education because all they really care about is the knowledge itself. This is a disease that affects almost every single Malawian (I guarantee that everyone in the graduation room knew at least one person touched by HIV/AIDS). These kids just want revenge. They want to learn about what has been attacking them and their communities so that they can one-day defeat it. To sit back and watch the level of commitment that these kids had within themselves gave me a new sense of inspiration and passion for my work. Their dedication proves just how serious the problem of HIV and AIDS is in the region, and it proves that we need to do everything in our power to beat it once and for all.

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GRS Wins British Airways Business Opportunity Grant

By GRSweb on February 1, 2010

British_Airways

Grassroot Soccer was recently selected by British Airways to receive one of 100 Business Opportunities Grants.  The following is an excerpt from British Airways about the grant:

For its Business Opportunity Grant program, British Airways hand selected the winning companies primarily based on how a year’s worth of business travel and face to face meetings, along with other valuable business support, would positively impact each business, its growth and ability to meet objectives for 2010.  The grant includes airfare for 10 round-trip Club World business class flights, five free global shipments with British Airways World Cargo, $1,000 toward hotel accommodations at Courtyard by Marriott, five Regus Businessworld Gold Cards offering access to its business lounges worldwide, a Canon MX860 Printer, and three face-to-face business introductions through ExeConnect.

The full  list of winning Company names is posted on the Face of Opportunity microsite (here), and for more information about the grant click (here).

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Football For Hope Centre Opens Its Doors To Khayelitsha And The World

By GRSweb on December 8, 2009

FIFA president Joseph Blatter gave the final speach during the centers opening ceremonies.

FIFA president Joseph Blatter gives the final speech during the opening ceremonies.

On Saturday, December 5, a day after the 2010 FIFA World Cup Final Draw, the eyes of the global soccer community were on the opening of the world’s first Football for Hope Centre, in Khayelitsha, South Africa, the culmination of a yearlong collaboration involving the Football for Hope movement, Grassroot Soccer, the Khayelitsha Development Forum, and numerous supporters and funders. The opening signified day one of a lasting partnership through which Grassroot Soccer, the Centre Host, will engage the youth of Khayelitsha and provide them with essential HIV prevention education. More about the opening, as well as Grassroot Soccer’s involvement and legacy of HIV education and prevention in Africa, can be found in some of the media coverage [here] and [here], which so far has included Associated Press, Reuters, and CNN International.

The Centre in Khayelitsha is the first of 20 that will be built in disadvantaged communities across Africa as part of Football for Hope’s 20 Centres for 2010, the Official Campaign of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Football for Hope is a movement led by FIFA and the football-for-development network, streetfootballworld, of which Grassroot Soccer is a longtime implementing partner.

The Centre has rooms for educational activities and community gatherings, public health services, office space, and an artificial turf field, where Grassroot Soccer will run HIV and AIDS prevention education for youth.  It also includes several all-purpose rooms, for private counseling and testing. A Grassroot Soccer Skillz coach will be staffed on site at all times.

In his remarks, Blatter stressed the goals of the 20 Centres for 2010 campaign, and in so doing illustrated why Grassroot Soccer was a natural choice for the first Centre Host. “These Football for Hope Centres will use the power of football to address social challenges,” he said. “Each will provide a platform for organisations that use the game to address social issues such as children’s rights and education, health, HIV and Aids and the environment, and will leave a legacy for Africa that will last long after the final whistle of the 2010 FIFA World Cup”.

After a plaque unveiling and ribbon-cutting, during which Grassroot Soccer co-founder and Managing Director Kirk Friedrich joined the other dignitaries on stage, an on-field demonstration of the Grassroot Soccer Skillz activity “Risk Field,” led by Skillz coaches, brought to life for all those in attendance how soccer can be used to teach kids about the most dangerous behaviors that lead to HIV transmission. Even Radebe got in on the action for the enthralled audience.

The Centre opening, and two-day international youth tournament that followed, closed out more than a week of intense preparation and activity at the new site, located on land once notorious for crime and violence. Earlier in the week, Grassroot Soccer hosted a VCT (Voluntary Counseling & Testing) tournament, an innovative model which connects youth and community members to essential health services, enabling them to test for HIV and know their status, in the context of a soccer tournament. The VCT tournament at the new Centre drew 102 young men and women who learned their HIV status and was the first of many exciting activities to come at the site.

“This was more like a crime spot, but now it is more like an activity spot where people come to enjoy themselves” said Zamayedwa Sogayise, Chairperson of the Khayelitsha Development Forum. The Forum, along with the City of Cape Town, had applied for the site to be considered for a Football for Hope Centre, and were instrumental in Grassroot Soccer’s selection.

The first six Football for Hope Centres will be constructed in South Africa, Namibia, Kenya, Ghana, Mali and Rwanda.

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Grassroot Soccer Gives HIV the Red Card

By GRSweb on December 8, 2009

red logoWith the eyes of the global soccer community fixed on Khayelitsha, South Africa, the December 5 Football for Hope Centre opening was prime opportunity for debuting Grassroot Soccer’s exciting new programming concept and communications initiative for 2010, the Red Card campaign. On the eve of the World Cup in South Africa, the campaign endeavors to make the infamous symbol for poor behavior on the pitch a powerful, unifying signifier for zero tolerance for the risky behaviors that lead to HIV.

As part of Grassroot Soccer’s HIV prevention curriculum, the Red Card is a reaffirmation of the organization’s commitment to finding new ways to connect with young people and combat the spread of HIV. During the activity “Risk Field,” which was demonstrated at the Football for Hope Centre opening for an audience of soccer and political dignitaries, the local community, and international press, the Red Card reinforced the theme of the activity — knowing and averting the leading risk factors for HIV transmission, like multiple partners and cross-generational sex. Each time a cone representing a risk factor was dribbled into, the Red Card was shown and the participant did a push-up. While fun and engaging, the Red Card and an activity like Risk Field are proven and powerful tools for driving home the severity of the threat of HIV. In the early phases of the campaign, Grassroot Soccer will integrate the Red Card into other curriculum activities focused on both boys and girls.

A skillz participant wears one of our new "Give HIV the Red Card" t-shirts and hats.

A SKILLZ participant wears some of our new "Give HIV the Red Card" apparel.

As Grassroot Soccer co-founder and Managing Director Kirk Friedrich explains, “With all the great events happening in South Africa, I can’t imagine a better time to mobilize the nation behind the Red Card as a means to inspire dialogue and discussion about this difficult topic. We believe the Red Card can become an enduring symbol of the fight against HIV and help change behaviors and save lives.”

As a communications platform, the campaign is a call to the like-minded to join in Grassroot Soccer’s goal to educate 1 million youth through its programming by 2014. As an organization whose impact on over 300,000 lives in 13 African countries is owed to partnerships and collaboration, Grassroot Soccer will open up the campaign to key strategic partners in order to expand the campaign’s reach and impact. Through such collaborations, the Red Card will be increasingly visible as the World Cup 2010 draws nearer.

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Grassroot Soccer Features in New (Nike) Red Campaign

By GRSweb on December 1, 2009

WORLD AIDS DAY 2009:

Cote de'voir and Chelsea player Didier Drogba is one of (NIKE) RED's biggest proponents. Drogba scored two goals against Arsenal on the 29th of November wearing his brand new (RED) laces.

Cote d'Ivoire and Chelsea player Didier Drogba is one of (NIKE) RED's biggest proponents. Drogba scored two goals against Arsenal on the 29th of November wearing his brand new (RED) laces.

On December 1, 2009, World AIDS Day, soccer superstars Didier Drogba, Joe Cole, and Clint Dempsey stood together in London with pop legend and humanitarian Bono to announce Nike’s new partnership with (RED) to fight HIV in Africa through sport.  As Nike’s long-term partner in the fight against HIV and AIDS, Grassroot Soccer features in Nike’s story-telling around this initiative, bringing to life how football can play a powerful role in educating youth about HIV prevention.

Grassroot Soccer is a lead story in a Nike-produced online spot that brings to light their joint HIV-prevention efforts in Soweto — the city being a focal point for Nike in South Africa in the coming months. A pair of Grassroot Soccer Skillz coaches get their close-up as narrators, sharing their personal experiences with HIV, their expectations for World Cup 2010, and how, through the power of soccer in their lives, they’ve overcome the risks and influences to which so many of their peers have tragically succumbed.


The campaign promotes Grassroot Soccer as an example of the type of program that is making a difference by raising HIV and AIDS awareness, enabling young people to make informed decisions, and using sport as a catalyst to engage and communicate to boys and girls.


For the grand announcement of the partnership on World AIDS Day, football sensations from the world over, including Drogba, Joe Cole, and Clint Dempsey, stood shoulder-to-shoulder with pop legend and humanitarian Bono at NIKETOWN, in London. In Soweto, Grassroot Soccer coaches took to the pitch for Skillz demonstrations, and to the air with news organizations like South African Broadcasting and Al Jazeera to talk about Grassroot Soccer’s and Nike’s key roles in the fight against HIV and the meaning of the World Cup and initiatives like this to South Africa, the continent and the world.


A portion of the proceeds from the sale of Red Laces, Nike’s signature (RED) product for the partnership, will be pooled and allocated via grants administered by the King Baudouin Foundation. Funds will be directed to organizations similar to Grassroot Soccer which are committed to fighting the spread of HIV and AIDS through the power of football.

For more about the (NIKE) RED campaign, check out www.nikefootball.com/red.

To see the first NIKE video profiling Grassroot Soccer, click here.


The following are (Nike) Red generated posters featuring Grassroot Soccer coaches in Bulawayo and Soweto.

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