Breaking the Cycle of GBV in Zambia

I'm really excited to have written this article for the Grassroot Soccer website: Addressing Gender-Based Violence in Zambia: The Grassroot Soccer Approach

Gender-based violence, a a major driver of HIV transmission, is a critical component of GRS curriculum- it works to change the attitudes toward GBV in girls and boys at a crucial time in the understanding of each other. I'm proud to work for an organization that fights to prevent GBV through youth education.

World AIDS Day 2013

This past December, GRSZam held an HCT (HIV counseling and testing) tournament at Zambia's Olympic Youth Development Center to raise awareness for World AIDS Day 2013. With the home of the Zambian National team, the "Chipolopolo",  in the background, teams of 14-16 year olds squared off to play football, get tested and encourage everyone in attendance that their generation can stop HIV!

SKILLZ+ coach, Rosemary, shared her inspiring story of survivorship.
Her courage in using her HIV+ status to change the lives of those in her community
truly moved the participants and organizers.

Just the interns posing..

Members of the tournament partners (GRS, UNAIDS, PEPFAR and Bank of Zambia) played a 4-team mini-tournament during the midday break. Unsurprisingly, GRSZam got the big W!

MSA Tour: The Bat Migration!

My latest Zambian adventure brought me North to Kasanka National Park to see the world's largest mammal migration! The trip included some swimming at the beautiful Kundalila Falls and a Mzungu Tour village game. It was an incredible weekend!

~8 million fruit bats!

The top of the falls.

Kasanka National Park

Navigating to the viewing spot.

Kundalila
Falls

The view of the valley

Going for a dip!

Mzungu Allstars Tour Game: 5-4 win for the visitors!

GRSZ: What We Do

In an effort to answer the question that everyone seems to ask- "What do you actually do in Africa??", I am doing my best to outline the two sides to GRSZ programs that can more or less be broken down into interventions and HCT tournaments.

Interventions are the actual implementation of GRS curriculum. Participants go to 10 practices that are led by GRS coaches, young people age 18-25 who are chosen for their character and leadership to be educators and role models. Practices uses various soccer drills and activities to demonstrate a lesson about HIV. GRS offers curriculum variation that aims at different target populations; in addition to the original Skillz Core, there is Skillz Street that is specific for girls, Champions League for young men ages 18-25 and Skillz+ for HIV participants that are already positive, which aims at keeping HIV+ participants on treatment and offers support. Over the course of 11 weeks, GRS coaches also make door-to-door visits to make relationships with participants' families and gain consent to test participants at their GRS graduation. To date, GRS has graduated over 700,000 participants, with hopes to reach 1 million by the World Cup 2014.

To read more about our curriculum effectiveness check out our Proven Results.

HIV Counseling and Testing (HCT) Tournaments are tournaments funded and organized by GRS that bring teams within local communities together to play while offering free day-of testing and results. In addition to testing all the players with consent, any spectator or community member may also be tested. Anyone found positive can receive counseling at the tournament and is then referred to partnership organizations that offer treatment. Here in Zambia, a given tournament generally tests between 300-700 people, with upwards of 10 positives.
Below are some pictures from GRSZ HCT tournaments!

Making the cut!

Hanging out

My roommates and fellow GRS interns,
Melissa and Sandy

The Next Journey: Where and Why

After four years of learning, playing soccer and running at Bates, my passion for the beautiful game and aspirations to work in public health have me headed to Zambia! For one year, beginning in August, I'll be working as an intern for Grassroot Soccer, a non-profit organization that uses the power of soccer to inspire, educate and mobilize communities to stop the spread of HIV. I feel so privileged to have had my experiences as a student-athlete and I'm excited to use what I’ve learned at Bates to help extend opportunities for health and happiness to youth through GRS.

Started in 2003, Grassroot Soccer is a non-profit organization that uses soccer as a cultural platform for public health initiatives in South Africa, Lesotho, Zimbabwe and Zambia. GRS programs implement curriculums and engage positive role models within the community to help youth gain the knowledge and life skills needed for more informed and healthier lives. Though HIV is a preventable disease, over 23.5 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa live HIV positive and currently more than 90% of new youth infections occur in this region. GRS targets this public health crisis through education and increased access to testing and treatment to youth and their families. Today, over 500,000 young people have graduated from GRS programs with plans to graduate 1 million by the World Cup 2014!

Grassroot Soccer Video: Who We Are, What We Do:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKynD3dzccU

Before taking on intern duties such as assisting in the planning and implementing of programs, developing community-organization relations and promoting GRS services, I need to raise funds fGRS that will ultimately help to support my internship. My pre-departure expenses will include: passport and visa fees, vaccinations and round-trip airfare. Once there, I’ll be responsible for covering expenses such as obtaining an international driver’s license, health insurance, preventative medications, food, and all associated living costs with exception to housing.

Please consider donating to GRS to join the movement to stop the spread of the HIV epidemic and to promote health and education through soccer to young people in Sub-Saharan Africa. Any donation size will be deeply appreciated, as no amount is too small to help make a difference!

Donations can be made using the "Donate" button located in the right side column.