One of the most important programs Grassroot Soccer runs is our HCT Tournament. An HIV Counseling and Testing tournament unites all aspects of our organization into one crazy day of GRS fun. September 29th marks another one of these tournaments. This is a day where we welcome members of the Kimberley community to participate in soccer and GRS activities, watch from the sidelines, and test for HIV to accomplish the ever-important feat of knowing your status.
Thanks New Start!
For this particular HCT we held both a boys and girls tournament where 10 boys teams fought it out, while only 2 girls teams played for victory. For our next HCT we hope to have more girls teams, come on ladies! While some teams played, and the Kim Staff ran around preparing lunch, sorting out the schedule, and taking care of logistics, Skillz Coaches ushered their teams to the HIV testing area. New Start Bloemfontein, our faithful testing partner, set up tents where they would start and finish the HIV testing and counseling process. By the end of the day they tested 204 members of the Kim community, including soccer players, GRS coaches, GRS staff and interns, and any one else who was around and felt it was time to "Know the Game"- to know their status.
Here's a clip of two of the boys teams!
And here are the 2 girls teams!
The Kimberley Stars ended up taking the championship for the boys side, and FNB won their match for the girls. Along with other prizes like cleats and gear, the champions now have their team's name engraved on this beautiful trophy (seen below), courtesy of Trophy & Gift Centre in Kimberley. Thanks to the guys at this shop, New Start, the LFA (coaches association) for organizing teams, and Eskort for donating food, the GRS KimTeam was able to hold another successful HCT Tournament.
Kimberley Stars - Champions! (With GRS Kim site coordinator, Thuso Jones)
With every program, every intervention, every activity, and every individual tested for HIV, Grassroot Soccer is one step closer to achieving our goal of an HIV free generation. Let's keep up the good work as we move into another month of interventions, graduations, and all the behind-the-scenes labor that goes into this great GRS site every day. Kimba love all the way.
To finish off the crazy month of September, GRS Kim held two simultaneous Skillz Holiday camps in Roodepan. Skillz Holiday is one of the very special programs we run where our coaches work with the kids for an entire week, complete all the practices, and graduate the learners on the last day. This method creates an intimate environment that builds strong relationships between coach and learner in a short amount of time.
"Sky Ball" with Coach Fire at Roodepan Primary
After weeks of preparation by our staff and our two camp directors - shout out to Coach Neo and Coach Lorato! - which involved recruiting schools and children, prepping materials,
securing food, and organizing coaches, the interventions took off in lightning
fashion.Our Generation Skillz
intervention was implemented at Pescodia Secondary School and Skillz 1.2 spent the
week at Roodepan Primary.Running
two different programs stretched our team mentally and physically but we pulled together for a triumphant week.
The picture below shows two learners participating in one of our great activities that utilizes soccer to educate the kids about risky behaviors. In "Breakaway from HIV" two kids line up behind two cones, one placed ahead of the other. During the first round the striker, who is in front, does not have a ball, which represents abstinence. The coach blows the whistle once, releasing the striker, then twice, releasing the defender, or HIV. The second round gives the striker one ball, or one mutually faithful partner, and the third round sees the striker with two balls, or multiple sexual partners. By the third round it is very difficult for the striker to reach his goal without getting tagged by the defender, illustrating how difficult it is to avoid HIV when having sex with more than one partner.
Kids at Pescodia during "Breakaway from HIV"
The video below shows one of the groups at Pescodia Secondary doing the activity, "HIV Limbo". In this exercise the kids are told that the string represents HIV and if you cannot limbo under it then you are pretend infected with the virus. For the first round they pretend they are abstaining from sex and the string is relatively easy to limbo under. The second round they pretend they have a sexual partner that is their same age and the string is lowered slightly. The third round the string represents a partner that is 5 years older, and the fourth round a partner that is ten years older. The string is lowered each round so it becomes harder and harder to avoid hitting the string, and consequently harder and harder to avoid being infected with (pretend) HIV. The key message of this practice is explained following the activity, and makes it clear to the learners that abstaining is the safest way to avoid HIV, though if you chose to have sex, it is less dangerous to have a partner that is your same age rather than an older partner. Great activity and the kids clearly love it!
Our final numbers for the week were 68 graduates from Roodepan and 90 from Pescodia. Big Kilos go to our camp directors, coaches, and staff for overcoming obstacles, staying positive and energetic, and rising to the challenge to come out on top. Many snaps for GRS Kim!
More to come about the HCT we held this past Saturday, so much ayobaness in Kimbaaaa.
