Bringing hope to 6 000 Alex children

The Football for Hope and Grassroots Soccer project is proving to be a worthy investment and is uplifting the lives of Alex children.

A spin-off from the 2010 soccer world cup, the project started in 2011 and uses soccer metaphors and physical activities to develop coping skills to enable youths to deal with the many social ills they face in daily life.

It is facilitated by school leavers who are trained for two years as volunteer coaches and mentors. Its programme complements schools’ life orientation and includes life skills, HIV/Aids, anti-substance abuse awareness, sexuality and anti-pregnancy education.

“So far, we have reached 6 000 primary and secondary school children in Alexandra and other nearby schools through daily after school activities. Soccer is a cheap, child-friendly medium for youth engagement,” said Skhumbuzo Mnculwane, site manager.

“We have all the requirements – balls, cones, mini soccer fields and free grounds at schools and in communities to engage them, and in the process, transmit positive life skills messages and keeping them off the streets.”

Mnculwane added that the programme was progressing well due to the receptiveness of schools but could increase its impact if schools’ life orientation curriculum was made more interesting and delivered in creative ways to attract children’s attention.

He also appealed for parental involvement in the programme and is seeking ways of engaging them.

One of the coaches Lebohang Tlhako credited the programme for her own personal development. “It has improved my coping and inter-communication skills, knowledge of social issues and decision making. Also, it prepares us for work opportunities – writing CVs and how to prepare and perform well in interviews. Also, it has given me skills which I use to help the young ones define their lives around goals and to abstain from negative influences,” she concluded.

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