Today is World AIDS Day! We started it off with a bang this morning by visiting the local radio station and having Hooter give an impromptu talk about GRS and our event this weekend (more to come about that soon). He did an awesome job, especially for having no idea that he was going to be on air. Linds and I definitely enjoyed being able to sit in the studio with him without having to actually talk. We're both still a little too shy for that. The DJ at the station liked our program so much that he is having Hooter go back with Thuso tomorrow morning during primetime to go through one of our games on air. It sounds like he also wants us to come back on a regular basis to be part of his show. What a great partnership to be started on World AIDS Day!
President Zuma also gave a speech today about improving care for people living with HIV. It's kind of a big deal since he has not always acknowledged the severity of HIV in South Africa. The New York Times featured the speech as one of its headlines today. Check it out:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/02/world/africa/02safrica.html?_r=1&hp
Today is also the day that Nike launches their partnership with the (RED) campaign to leverage the power of sport to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa.
Grassroot Soccer is Nike’s long-term partner in the fight against HIV/AIDS, and is prominently featured as part of Nike’s story telling around this initiative, bringing to life how football can play a powerful role in educating youth about HIV/AIDS prevention. Nike’s (RED) campaign promotes Grassroot Soccer as an example of the type of program that is making a difference through raising awareness of HIV/AIDS and by providing education, enabling young people to make informed decisions, and using sport as a catalyst to engage and communicate to African youth.
Check out the inspirational Nike video profiling GRS South Africa: http://inside.nike.com/blogs/nikesoccer/2009/11/30/fighting-hivaids-through-soccer
Bono, Nike’s President/CEO Mark Parker and (NIKE)RED's Global Ambassador Didier Drogba announced this new campaign last night when football stars from around the world gathered at Niketown London to debut red laces that they all will wear on the field to show their support for this campaign.
Nike’s signature (RED) product for the partnership, Red Laces, are available online or at Nike stores throughout the world. Nike is contributing 100% of the proceeds from the laces to the Global Fund and organizations like GRS who are committed to fighting the spread of HIV/AIDS through the power of football.
And as a bonus, if you buy your laces today you get free shipping: http://store.nike.com/index.jsp?country=US&lang_locale=en_US#l=shop,pdp,ctr-inline/cid-1/pid-307448
If you want to learn more about the (NIKE)RED campaign and GRS’s involvement, check out www.nikefootball.com/red.
Thanks for your interest and support in the fight against HIV and AIDS!
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Skillz Street
So I’ve been meaning to write about Skillz Street for awhile and it seems that I’m finally getting around to it. First, I have to give mad props to my roommate, Lindsay for implementing the first ever Skillz Street league in Kimberley. It’s also the first girls-only league, which, I must add, is awesome. Although the intended target has always been girls, until now, the model has failed to come to fruition as boys naturally dominate the soccer scene. She has done an amazing job organizing it and even stepping in as a coach when one of our beloved coaches dropped out the morning of the first practice (Unfortunately, in the words of our site coordinator, Mandla, “We’re facing a bit of a challenge” when it comes to coaches. We currently have only 6 coaches in Kimberley and need to reach 5,000 kids with our program this year. The Training of Coaches we have in early January cannot come soon enough). All of the girls were thrilled to see that Lindsay was one of the coaches on the first day. Their faces lit up with excitement and I even saw a fist-pump from a girl assigned to her team.
Skillz Street at its simplest is an organized soccer league for youth after school. However, it provides much more than just a safe space to play twice a week. For example, one of its major tenants is the incorporation of Fair Play rules, which are based on respect and self-officiating. Before starting their matches, the two teams gather together in the “Skillz Zone” to agree on three additional Fair Play rules. The most popularly chosen rules are helping an opponent up when she falls and having both teams celebrate when a goal is scored. I was initially hesitant as to whether these rules would actually be followed. When’s the last time you saw a twelve year old celebrate when they were scored on? But to my surprise, this rule has been beautifully adopted. I’m often astounded at the celebrations in which both teams take part after a goal is scored. They’re often so loud that teams on neighboring fields turn to watch. Players on the sideline run onto the field with coaches to exchange high fives and hugs. I tried to capture the essence in some of these pictures, but they really don’t do the experience justice.
In addition to the emphasis on Fair Play, every practice has a theme. They have included such vital topics as teamwork, gender, and self-efficacy. Lindsay creates questions for each theme and the teams discuss them in the Skillz Zone for ten minutes after the game. These topics are important, yet too often unaddressed. The idea is for the girls to feel comfortable talking about such issues at Skillz Street. It offers them an intimate space where they can express themselves and ask questions. Thus far, the discussions have been relatively successful. Although some questions need to be reworked, the girls actively participate and contribute insightful thoughts. I love seeing these girls, who are limited in so many ways, take charge and find solutions to the inherent problems they face.
We also decided to add Skillz Core to Skillz Street (Skillz Core is the 8 practices that teach about HIV and AIDS). It was advertised to the girls as an optional component of Skillz Street, but to our blissful amazement, nearly all of the girls who had not already graduated from Skillz Core decided to attend these sessions before their games. Even girls who had graduated from the program came back to do it again. Such a positive turnout was a necessary reassurance in the initial days of the league. The other great part of Skillz Core with Skillz Street is that we get to see our assistant site coordinator, Thuso Jones, teach all the lessons. He’s usually too busy with office duties to be a coach as well, but seeing him in action is nothing less than beautiful. Although normally shy and reserved, Thuso bursts into a new energetic persona when he’s coaching. He teaches the lessons as they were meant to be taught, emphasizing key messages and keeping the girls engaged. It seems as though he was meant to be a Skillz Coach. After practices, the girls swarm him, joking and just trying to be near him. If only all of our coaches could be like him…
Playing Find the Ball - the girls pass the pall behind their backs and the other team has to guess who has it when Thuso says "stop". It's usually tough to figure out who has the ball. The ball is labeled "HIV" and is supposed to signify a person who has HIV. The message of the game is that you cannot tell just my looking at someone whether or not they have HIV, just as you cannot tell who is holding the ball just by looking at them.
Since attending and assisting Lindsay with all of the logistical duties of Skillz Street, I have managed to amass a personal fan club that ranges anywhere from one to fifteen kids on a given day. They love to hold my hand, braid my hair, sit with me, climb on me, ask endless questions, and generally help me with anything and everything. Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoy it. I’ve also become the unofficial photographer and the kids love having their picture taken. I included some of their fun pictures here. I can’t get over their beauty and saucy personalities. Just when you think one of them is shy, they bust out a sweet dance move or dramatic impersonation. I love that they are so much more comfortable with themselves and outgoing than American kids. Every time, someone new joins and I instantly become attached. I could seriously just play with them all day. Alas, I have to make due with the snippets I get on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons.
My favorite girl is on the far right. Although she's normally shy, she got a little attitude for this picture.Yesterday, we celebrated Thanksgiving! We delayed the holiday until Saturday so that we would actually have time to prepare our delicious feast. It officially marked my fifth consecutive Thanksgiving away from home. Sad, yet, it felt much more like the 4th of July than Thanksgiving with the 95 degree heat. Our menu was so extensive that Lindsay had to go out and buy three extra pans so that we would be able to cook everything. My favorite dish was the sweet potato casserole, which my mom makes for all the holidays. We also had mashed potatoes, green beans with almonds, scalloped corn, stuffing (and gluten free stuffing for Lindsay!), chicken (couldn’t find turkey), pecan pie, and pumpkin san crust (i.e. sans gluten). After the sun had set, we dusted off our dining room table (read: black plastic) outback by the bbq pit and Hooter lit a fire. We set the table and had an amazing, candlelit, Kimberley Family Thanksgiving. The warm night felt great. Since we rarely eat at the same time and I usually eat on the floor, the table feast made it feel like a true holiday. It was one of my favorite nights thus far.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
A Face to the Disease
While visiting the hospital last week, I was lucky enough to sit in on some meetings between HIV patients and their adherence counselors. As it turns out, one of our old coaches, Vicky, now works at the hospital as one of these counselors. She was thrilled to see me there and ran down the hallway to give me a huge hug. I was glad to have a friendly companion for the morning since the pharmacist was out sick. After introducing me to all of her coworkers, she led me to her counseling room to sit in on a few sessions.
In reality, counseling is a rather generous term to describe the process. The patient enters, hands his or her file to Vicky, and sits quietly while Vicky counts the number of pills left (to make sure the correct number has been taken since the last visit – this is the vague measure of adherence). The only questions they answer pertain to their first and most recent CD4 counts. CD4 counts measure a type of immune cells in the body. Patients, who are very sick, have low CD4 counts, whereas patients who are healthier and able to better fight off infection have higher CD4 counts. CD4 counts are often used to determine whether a person needs to be put on ARVs. A patient is generally put on ARVs when their CD4 count is below 200.
During one of these quick 5 minute check-ins, Vicky had to leave for a few minutes to speak with a coworker. I quickly realized what a rare moment I had and took the opportunity to introduce myself to the female patient and ask if she would be willing to talk to me about her experience living with HIV. Although shy at first, she slowly began to share.
In 2003, she was pregnant and during a visit to the hospital, a nurse suggested that she take a voluntary HIV test. At that point, she had only ever had one partner – her husband – and so she thought she had nothing to fear. She agreed to the test, only to be stunned with the positive results. Immediately, she knew that her husband had been cheating on her. To my surprise, he apologized, admitted that he was at fault, and agreed to be tested as well. In most scenarios, it seems that men will blame the women even if they know that they are at fault and they will adamantly refuse to be tested. When he tested, like his wife, he found that his results were positive. Sadly, when I asked about their baby, she said that it only made it to ten months. Although, she did not reveal the cause of its death, we both silently acknowledged the truth.
Luckily, in 2004, things began to turn around for her, as ARVs became free in South Africa. She jumped at the opportunity and began taking them as soon as possible. In terms of side effects, she said that the first 2-3 days were the hardest part. Now, the drugs are just part of her life and she doesn’t seem to be particularly bothered by them. I was, of course, interested in adherence, so I asked her if it was hard to remember to take the ARVs everyday or if she was embarrassed to take them in front of others for fear that they would know she had HIV. She replied that neither were a problem, saying “It’s my life”. I was also surprised that she was open about her status with family and friends. In fact, she attributed much of her success on ARVS to the support she gets from this network, revealing that “the big thing is support”. When I asked if she worried about what neighbors said or gossiped and how she dealt with stigma, she said that it did not matter. People will always talk. What matters is that her family and friends are there to love and support her.
Although this woman did not realize it, I truly admired her. She has taken so many brave steps in her young life that others will never manage in a lifetime. I hope that she can be a role model for others to get tested, seek treatment and support, and be open about one’s status. Like the majority of the patients I saw, she looked healthy – not the emaciated, sickly image that many people attribute to victims of HIV. She was still living her life with this rough bump in the road.
In reality, counseling is a rather generous term to describe the process. The patient enters, hands his or her file to Vicky, and sits quietly while Vicky counts the number of pills left (to make sure the correct number has been taken since the last visit – this is the vague measure of adherence). The only questions they answer pertain to their first and most recent CD4 counts. CD4 counts measure a type of immune cells in the body. Patients, who are very sick, have low CD4 counts, whereas patients who are healthier and able to better fight off infection have higher CD4 counts. CD4 counts are often used to determine whether a person needs to be put on ARVs. A patient is generally put on ARVs when their CD4 count is below 200.
During one of these quick 5 minute check-ins, Vicky had to leave for a few minutes to speak with a coworker. I quickly realized what a rare moment I had and took the opportunity to introduce myself to the female patient and ask if she would be willing to talk to me about her experience living with HIV. Although shy at first, she slowly began to share.
In 2003, she was pregnant and during a visit to the hospital, a nurse suggested that she take a voluntary HIV test. At that point, she had only ever had one partner – her husband – and so she thought she had nothing to fear. She agreed to the test, only to be stunned with the positive results. Immediately, she knew that her husband had been cheating on her. To my surprise, he apologized, admitted that he was at fault, and agreed to be tested as well. In most scenarios, it seems that men will blame the women even if they know that they are at fault and they will adamantly refuse to be tested. When he tested, like his wife, he found that his results were positive. Sadly, when I asked about their baby, she said that it only made it to ten months. Although, she did not reveal the cause of its death, we both silently acknowledged the truth.
Luckily, in 2004, things began to turn around for her, as ARVs became free in South Africa. She jumped at the opportunity and began taking them as soon as possible. In terms of side effects, she said that the first 2-3 days were the hardest part. Now, the drugs are just part of her life and she doesn’t seem to be particularly bothered by them. I was, of course, interested in adherence, so I asked her if it was hard to remember to take the ARVs everyday or if she was embarrassed to take them in front of others for fear that they would know she had HIV. She replied that neither were a problem, saying “It’s my life”. I was also surprised that she was open about her status with family and friends. In fact, she attributed much of her success on ARVS to the support she gets from this network, revealing that “the big thing is support”. When I asked if she worried about what neighbors said or gossiped and how she dealt with stigma, she said that it did not matter. People will always talk. What matters is that her family and friends are there to love and support her.
Although this woman did not realize it, I truly admired her. She has taken so many brave steps in her young life that others will never manage in a lifetime. I hope that she can be a role model for others to get tested, seek treatment and support, and be open about one’s status. Like the majority of the patients I saw, she looked healthy – not the emaciated, sickly image that many people attribute to victims of HIV. She was still living her life with this rough bump in the road.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Hospital, Half-Marathon, & Happiness
On Friday, I was lucky enough to finally spend some quality time at Galeshewe Day Hospital, the only hospital that serves the township. Sadly, it’s vastly understaffed and deprived of supplies. I have made a few connections with people working in the ARV (antiretroviral) section of the hospital, which is where I hope to spend a lot of time in the coming months. ARVs are the medications that people with HIV take to remain healthy and postpone the onset of AIDS. In this section of the hospital, there are no longer any doctors to help the patients. At one point there were four, but now all people receiving treatment are consulted only by nurses or “sisters” as they are frequently called. The township consists of about 170,000 people. The HIV prevalence rate in South Africa is almost twenty percent and yet, there are only nurses to help HIV positive patients – on a good day. The lack of care is astounding and frustrating. I have befriended the pharmacist, who is doing his mandatory year of volunteer service at the hospital. He hates the work and describes the atmosphere as absolutely depressing. It was hard to hear such a lack of enthusiasm from a key staff member. As soon as his year is up, he plans to return and remain in Cape Town. Although the ARV section is at capacity, he estimates that only about a fourth of the people that need treatment are receiving it. The push to have people learn their HIV status is crucial, but becomes increasingly difficult when it’s impossible for them to receive treatment.
After talking with the pharmacist during a few visits to the hospital, I have become interested in two topics that I want to pursue as research projects this year. First, I would like to determine patients’ adherence to ARVs and factors that influence adherence/nonadherence. After determining this baseline data, I would like to start a project that improves the current down referral system. All staff members that I have spoken with have emphasized the currentfailure of down referral. Down referral is when the hospital begins to refer its patients to local clinics for treatment in order to alleviate their patient burden. The idea is to allow patients who have successfully taken ARVs for at least three months to retrieve their medication and have their adherence tracked locally, rather than at the busy hospital. This move would clear up more space for new patients to seek treatment and eliminate travel for patients. The system sounds great in theory, but in practice, it has failed in Galeshewe. The main problem lies in the fact that the clinics are not adequately prepared to handle the down referrals. Patients recognize that the clinic staff do not know how to adequately counsel or check adherence. Another issue is that the level of anonymity decreases when local clinics are used. Patients are more easily recognized by neighbors and other community members when they travel to the clinic and everyone knows how quickly gossip spreads, especially when it’s related to HIV. Stigma is obviously an enormous barrier to overcome in regards to HIV and many patients may prefer to expend the extra money and energy to transport themselves to the hospital rather than undergo the watchful eyes of suspecting gossipers.
We’re also staying pretty busy with other GRS projects. Lindsay recently started a Skillz Street League for girls. I assist her at the practices that are held twice a week. It’s definitely the highlight of my week. I’ll write more about it soon! I’m also heading a VCT that we’re holding on December 5th in honor of World AIDS Day (Dec. 1st). It combines soccer, GRS games, and HIV testing. More to come about this as well. Immediately following the VCT, we are going to have another weeklong holiday camp. And, in January, we are planning on having a TOC (Training of Coaches) to train about 30 new coaches. So, we have a lot on our plate right now, to say the least. But we’re all happy to be busy and playing such vital roles in the Kimberley site.
In other news, I ran my first half marathon this weekend! I never thought that my longest run would be in Kimberley, South Africa, on rather mundane roads, but I still enjoyed it. About halfway through the race, a 50-year old Afrikaner woman began talking to me. She shared that she has raced an 85km race 14 times now. When asked if I was planning to do it, I just laughed. It takes her 11 hours to run it – way longer than I want to be running. The best part of the race was about the last two miles, when my amazing roommates tracked me down in the car and became my mobile fan club. They danced, cheered, and tried to make me laugh. It was such a great surprise, as they had told me they had absolutely no interest in waking up early on a Saturday morning (the race started at 6am) and I couldn’t blame them. Their ridiculousness made my day.
I thought I would include a picture of our visit to Port Elizabeth, where we reunited with 10 other interns for Halloween. It was my favorite weekend vacation we’ve taken so far. Although it looks like we went surfing, Hooter was really the only successful one. Still, I loved just being in the ocean. I’m definitely jealous of the interns who live there and get to go surfing before work.
Besides the half marathon, we’ve been having a relaxing weekend – tennis, lounging in the garden, reading, going out to brunch. The weather is getting warmer (in the 90s some days) and in the past month, we’ve had some intense thunderstorms. I’m looking forward to the week ahead and making some progress on our many projects. We’re hoping to go back to Lesotho next weekend and spend some time in Semokang. It’s a small village in the mountains that has the longest commercial abseil in the world. Abesiling is like repelling down a mountain face. This one is 206m down a waterfall. I think I’m going to have to get over my fear of heights for this one. It sounds too incredible to pass up.
After talking with the pharmacist during a few visits to the hospital, I have become interested in two topics that I want to pursue as research projects this year. First, I would like to determine patients’ adherence to ARVs and factors that influence adherence/nonadherence. After determining this baseline data, I would like to start a project that improves the current down referral system. All staff members that I have spoken with have emphasized the currentfailure of down referral. Down referral is when the hospital begins to refer its patients to local clinics for treatment in order to alleviate their patient burden. The idea is to allow patients who have successfully taken ARVs for at least three months to retrieve their medication and have their adherence tracked locally, rather than at the busy hospital. This move would clear up more space for new patients to seek treatment and eliminate travel for patients. The system sounds great in theory, but in practice, it has failed in Galeshewe. The main problem lies in the fact that the clinics are not adequately prepared to handle the down referrals. Patients recognize that the clinic staff do not know how to adequately counsel or check adherence. Another issue is that the level of anonymity decreases when local clinics are used. Patients are more easily recognized by neighbors and other community members when they travel to the clinic and everyone knows how quickly gossip spreads, especially when it’s related to HIV. Stigma is obviously an enormous barrier to overcome in regards to HIV and many patients may prefer to expend the extra money and energy to transport themselves to the hospital rather than undergo the watchful eyes of suspecting gossipers.
We’re also staying pretty busy with other GRS projects. Lindsay recently started a Skillz Street League for girls. I assist her at the practices that are held twice a week. It’s definitely the highlight of my week. I’ll write more about it soon! I’m also heading a VCT that we’re holding on December 5th in honor of World AIDS Day (Dec. 1st). It combines soccer, GRS games, and HIV testing. More to come about this as well. Immediately following the VCT, we are going to have another weeklong holiday camp. And, in January, we are planning on having a TOC (Training of Coaches) to train about 30 new coaches. So, we have a lot on our plate right now, to say the least. But we’re all happy to be busy and playing such vital roles in the Kimberley site.
In other news, I ran my first half marathon this weekend! I never thought that my longest run would be in Kimberley, South Africa, on rather mundane roads, but I still enjoyed it. About halfway through the race, a 50-year old Afrikaner woman began talking to me. She shared that she has raced an 85km race 14 times now. When asked if I was planning to do it, I just laughed. It takes her 11 hours to run it – way longer than I want to be running. The best part of the race was about the last two miles, when my amazing roommates tracked me down in the car and became my mobile fan club. They danced, cheered, and tried to make me laugh. It was such a great surprise, as they had told me they had absolutely no interest in waking up early on a Saturday morning (the race started at 6am) and I couldn’t blame them. Their ridiculousness made my day.
I thought I would include a picture of our visit to Port Elizabeth, where we reunited with 10 other interns for Halloween. It was my favorite weekend vacation we’ve taken so far. Although it looks like we went surfing, Hooter was really the only successful one. Still, I loved just being in the ocean. I’m definitely jealous of the interns who live there and get to go surfing before work.
Besides the half marathon, we’ve been having a relaxing weekend – tennis, lounging in the garden, reading, going out to brunch. The weather is getting warmer (in the 90s some days) and in the past month, we’ve had some intense thunderstorms. I’m looking forward to the week ahead and making some progress on our many projects. We’re hoping to go back to Lesotho next weekend and spend some time in Semokang. It’s a small village in the mountains that has the longest commercial abseil in the world. Abesiling is like repelling down a mountain face. This one is 206m down a waterfall. I think I’m going to have to get over my fear of heights for this one. It sounds too incredible to pass up.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Zweli
Following our holiday program, I was asked to write a success story to share with Castrol, our sponsor of the event. I chose to write about Zweli, one of our amazing coaches. The story follows:
Delani Mahashi, better known as Zweli, is a lively 20-year-old Skillz Coach from Danielskuil. In late September 2009, he volunteered as a coach in a Skillz Holiday Programme, sponsored by Castrol. With his vibrant personality and contagious energy, Zweli led a group of ten students from Isago Primary School through the Skillz Core curriculum and Skillz Street games during the week-long programme.
Zweli fully adopted the Fair Play mantra of Skillz Street, ensuring that all participants were enjoying their games while simultaneously supporting and encouraging one another. He frequently initiated and became the center of mass celebrations after scored goals, regardless of which team had scored. Most notably, on the final day, when a fellow coach was unable to attend, Zweli stepped in without hesitation to coach the stranded team, in addition to his own. Despite the fields for each team being far apart, Zweli sprinted back and forth between the games to coach both teams. His dedication and enthusiasm were unmatched.
Zweli truly emerged as an extraordinary role model for the participants during the voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) portion of the programme on the final day. Leading up to the VCT, Zweli had encouraged his team to learn their status. As he did this, members of his team began to challenge him unexpectedly. They pushed him to test as well. He recalled one participant in particular, “Tomorrow, Coach, you’re saying to know your status at the VCT. We challenge you to know as well.” Zweli took this challenge to heart. Throughout the week, he struggled with the internal debate of whether or not he would test. Even on the day of the VCT, as he ran between soccer matches to coach both teams, he flip-flopped between deciding he would test and then reneging. But his team held strong with their pressure for him to know his status.
During lunch, a programme coordinator reminded Zweli that now was an opportune time to take interested members from his team to be tested, and if he was willing, to be a role model for them and test as well. In this moment, Zweli met the challenge. As he proclaimed to his team that he was going to be tested, a horde of participants, including members of other teams, enthusiastically marched over with him and overwhelmed the testing tent. The inspiration he gave to these children, who had previously been completely uninterested in testing, was truly incredible. The minimum age to test with New Start was fourteen and suddenly participants were so eager to be tested that they attempted to convince coaches that they were of an older age, despite their records proving they were too young. Zweli went on to test with multiple children during lunch. They attended pre-counseling together and after he had been tested, he waited for each child to exit and ensured that he or she was okay. Zweli later recounted that it was the inspiration from his team that empowered him to learn his status. He was proud of their courage to test, but also of their ability to instill courage within him as well.
Immediately following his testing, Zweli ran to the championship field, where his team was about to begin their competition. The game had been put on hold until Zweli finished at the testing tent. He joined his team and without faltering, jumped back into coaching. Despite losing the final game, he and his team celebrated grandly, demonstrating the true meaning of sportsmanship and Fair Play embodied by Skillz. Zweli is a genuine inspiration to all and his power as a Skillz coach came to life in the Castrol Skillz Holiday Programme.
Delani Mahashi, better known as Zweli, is a lively 20-year-old Skillz Coach from Danielskuil. In late September 2009, he volunteered as a coach in a Skillz Holiday Programme, sponsored by Castrol. With his vibrant personality and contagious energy, Zweli led a group of ten students from Isago Primary School through the Skillz Core curriculum and Skillz Street games during the week-long programme.
Zweli fully adopted the Fair Play mantra of Skillz Street, ensuring that all participants were enjoying their games while simultaneously supporting and encouraging one another. He frequently initiated and became the center of mass celebrations after scored goals, regardless of which team had scored. Most notably, on the final day, when a fellow coach was unable to attend, Zweli stepped in without hesitation to coach the stranded team, in addition to his own. Despite the fields for each team being far apart, Zweli sprinted back and forth between the games to coach both teams. His dedication and enthusiasm were unmatched.
Zweli truly emerged as an extraordinary role model for the participants during the voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) portion of the programme on the final day. Leading up to the VCT, Zweli had encouraged his team to learn their status. As he did this, members of his team began to challenge him unexpectedly. They pushed him to test as well. He recalled one participant in particular, “Tomorrow, Coach, you’re saying to know your status at the VCT. We challenge you to know as well.” Zweli took this challenge to heart. Throughout the week, he struggled with the internal debate of whether or not he would test. Even on the day of the VCT, as he ran between soccer matches to coach both teams, he flip-flopped between deciding he would test and then reneging. But his team held strong with their pressure for him to know his status.
During lunch, a programme coordinator reminded Zweli that now was an opportune time to take interested members from his team to be tested, and if he was willing, to be a role model for them and test as well. In this moment, Zweli met the challenge. As he proclaimed to his team that he was going to be tested, a horde of participants, including members of other teams, enthusiastically marched over with him and overwhelmed the testing tent. The inspiration he gave to these children, who had previously been completely uninterested in testing, was truly incredible. The minimum age to test with New Start was fourteen and suddenly participants were so eager to be tested that they attempted to convince coaches that they were of an older age, despite their records proving they were too young. Zweli went on to test with multiple children during lunch. They attended pre-counseling together and after he had been tested, he waited for each child to exit and ensured that he or she was okay. Zweli later recounted that it was the inspiration from his team that empowered him to learn his status. He was proud of their courage to test, but also of their ability to instill courage within him as well.
Immediately following his testing, Zweli ran to the championship field, where his team was about to begin their competition. The game had been put on hold until Zweli finished at the testing tent. He joined his team and without faltering, jumped back into coaching. Despite losing the final game, he and his team celebrated grandly, demonstrating the true meaning of sportsmanship and Fair Play embodied by Skillz. Zweli is a genuine inspiration to all and his power as a Skillz coach came to life in the Castrol Skillz Holiday Programme.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Safari!!!
So, I had been bugging Lindsay and Hooter about going to see rhinos at a nearby national park and they finally gave in this weekend. Although the park, called Mokala, has many other animals, I was most excited to see the rhinos. In second grade, when we learned about endangered animals, the rhino was my favorite and this was finally my chance to see one!
Before even entering the park, we spotted these zebra and I immediately hopped out to snap their pictures. They're gorgeous and I couldn't believe how close they were!
One of the best parts of the park was that there were barely any other people visiting. We only ran into one other car during our drive, which lasted over three hours. Another fun part was that we didn't need a guide and were able to drive ourselves. The first animal we saw once we entered the park was a Kudu. Kudu are giant and quite impressive with their huge, squirrely horns.
And then we saw warthogs! I was reminded simultaneously of The Lion King, and my Beagle, Lucy. Needless to say, the warthogs can run a lot faster than Lucy.
We also got extremely close to a group of probably almost one hundred buffalo. At first, I was really excited and then, quickly got scared as one just a few meters from the car started to stare us down. Only later did we learn that out of the Big Five (elephant, lion, leopard, rhino, and buffalo), the buffalo kills the most people per year. So glad I learned that after the fact. Fortunately it never charged and we cruised past the rest of them, completely in awe.
We also saw a lot of these animals, which are pictured on the license plates in the Northern Cape (the province that Kimberley is in).
Towards the end of the afternoon, I became pretty convinced that we wouldn't see any rhino. I tried not to be disappointed since we'd already seen a ton of animals. But suddently, Hooter spotted one! It wasn't very close, but it was definitely a rhino. I hopped out of the car for a better look and sure enough, there were two larger rhinos with their baby off in the distance.
Although we didn't see the rhinos as well and as close as I'd hope, we'd still seen rhinos. I definitely didn't need to see any other animals after that. But soon enough, we found a beautiful herd of giraffes, which was probably next on my list after rhinos and zebra. Their bodies were larger than I had imagined, yet their colors were stunning.
Last but not least, we almost ran over this little guy on the way out. He was too cute to pass up, although he was terrified of me and scurried away as fast as possible.
So I got to check two of the Big Five off this weekend (buffalo and rhino). I can't wait to see the rest soon!
Before even entering the park, we spotted these zebra and I immediately hopped out to snap their pictures. They're gorgeous and I couldn't believe how close they were!
One of the best parts of the park was that there were barely any other people visiting. We only ran into one other car during our drive, which lasted over three hours. Another fun part was that we didn't need a guide and were able to drive ourselves. The first animal we saw once we entered the park was a Kudu. Kudu are giant and quite impressive with their huge, squirrely horns.
And then we saw warthogs! I was reminded simultaneously of The Lion King, and my Beagle, Lucy. Needless to say, the warthogs can run a lot faster than Lucy.
We also got extremely close to a group of probably almost one hundred buffalo. At first, I was really excited and then, quickly got scared as one just a few meters from the car started to stare us down. Only later did we learn that out of the Big Five (elephant, lion, leopard, rhino, and buffalo), the buffalo kills the most people per year. So glad I learned that after the fact. Fortunately it never charged and we cruised past the rest of them, completely in awe.
We also saw a lot of these animals, which are pictured on the license plates in the Northern Cape (the province that Kimberley is in).
Towards the end of the afternoon, I became pretty convinced that we wouldn't see any rhino. I tried not to be disappointed since we'd already seen a ton of animals. But suddently, Hooter spotted one! It wasn't very close, but it was definitely a rhino. I hopped out of the car for a better look and sure enough, there were two larger rhinos with their baby off in the distance.
Although we didn't see the rhinos as well and as close as I'd hope, we'd still seen rhinos. I definitely didn't need to see any other animals after that. But soon enough, we found a beautiful herd of giraffes, which was probably next on my list after rhinos and zebra. Their bodies were larger than I had imagined, yet their colors were stunning.
Last but not least, we almost ran over this little guy on the way out. He was too cute to pass up, although he was terrified of me and scurried away as fast as possible.
So I got to check two of the Big Five off this weekend (buffalo and rhino). I can't wait to see the rest soon!
Rocking the Daisies
Last weekend, Lindsay, Hooter, and I made the long drive down to Cape Town to hangout with other interns at Rocking the Daisies, an eco-friendly, camping, music festival. We made the 10+ hour drive with two interns from Lesotho and two interns from Richmond, South Africa. The drive was pretty fun and comfortable since we rented a huge 10-seater van. One definite highlight was driving on a dirt road for over 100km to reach Richmond, in our attempts at a shortcut. We took advantage of the desolate road by taking turns riding on top of the car in a beanbag chair – something I never imagined I’d do in Africa.
Rocking the Daisies took place at Kloof Winery, which is about an hour outside Cape Town. The setting was gorgeous and the vineyards reminded me of home. We had a mini-reunion of sorts with almost twenty interns joining in the festivities for the weekend. By the time we arrived on Friday evening, the music had already started. It went past midnight and started again the next day at 10am. My favorite group of the weekend played on Friday night. They were a South African group from Joburg, called The Gang of Instrumentals. There were three main singers, who had nonstop energy throughout the performance. I think I’d probably classify their music as hip hop if I had to choose a genre, which is probably why I liked them so much. At the end of the weekend, we bought their album and now I can’t stop listening to them.
The food was great too. I had some shwarma, which reminded me of my time in Spain and some delicious soups and breads. The overall scene, including food and people, was entirely different from Kimberley. There were very few Black people at the entire concert and those who were there were mostly working. I definitely realized that the Cape Town interns are having a very different experience from me this year. Just seeing Cape Town again was a shock to me. I could not believe how many different restaurants and stores there were in a one block radius. Admittedly, I was quite jealous of the opportunities that the city has to offer, especially in regards to the scenery and the outdoors. Overall, the weekend was a great escape and I was sad to leave after a few short days.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Kim Dribble
Lindsay and Hooter, my fellow interns in Kimberley, wrote the following story to be featured on the GRS website. It details one of my favorite experiences in Africa thus far and I thought I would share it with you.
In early September, GRS intern Peter Glidden was contacted by his former employer, The Greenwich Country Day School, about an all-school fundraising event called the “GCDS Walk-a-thon.” This walk-a-thon is an event that raises money for two NGOs every fall—one domestic and one international. Students, faculty and staff spend an entire day walking laps around the school campus to earn donations per miles completed. This year the GCDS community selected Teach for America and GrassrootSoccer as the organizations to support. The event was a great success, raising over $5,000 for GRS, and in a notable departure from the traditional GCDS walk-a-thon, participants embraced the GRS vision and dribbled the majority of their miles.
Somewhere over 7,000 miles away, on a different continent, in the opposite hemisphere, on a seemingly sunny October afternoon, Peter and a small group of fellow GRS interns embarked upon a similar expedition. This adventure unfolded in the sparkling city of Kimberley, South Africa. The four interns, Peter, Kristin Fladseth, Anna Barrett, and Lindsay Rotherham, were outfitted with only their bright yellow GrassrootSoccer t-shirts and two Nike soccer balls. Their goal: to dribble approximately 15 km from their home, throughout the heavily trafficked roads and lively neighborhoods of Galeshewe, the nearby township, and finally loop back to return home.
Excitement was in the air with a fast approaching storm in the distance and many kilometers to be traveled. The interns started strong on some of the quieter and well-maintained streets of the city. As they neared the township limits, however, the atmosphere changed, and they were greeted by honking cars and enthusiastic bystanders. Interest mounted as the group dribbled toward a local park and called out to people in the native Setswana. Slowly but surely kids emerged from their homes to join in the football festivities, including participants from the most recent Skillz Holiday Programmes.
A left hand turn took the group onto the busiest road of Galeshewe, where they were ambushed by a horde of intrigued and ecstatic kids. It took only a few passes and dribbles amongst the group of twenty plus children before they were totally hooked to these strange yellow-clad foreigners. Together, they continued on down the road into the heart of Galeshewe, laughing, dribbling, dancing and generally loving this bizarre experience. When the group reached the round-about in the town center, storm clouds had fully formed and rain began to fall upon this unlikely group. Grabbing as many of the small boys and girls into their arms as they could, the interns headed for shelter in a local school. After several minutes of soccer drills underneath an overhang, lightning moved the crew into a classroom, providing an opportunity for some familiar American games. “Heads up seven up” was a big hit as the kids struggled to guess which intern had selected them.
Eventually the sky cleared and the group began their long journey home. A bittersweet goodbye was said to the young, shivering troopers as the wet, deflated soccer balls rolled on their proverbial path through Galeshewe Park and back onto the wide, soggy road home.
In early September, GRS intern Peter Glidden was contacted by his former employer, The Greenwich Country Day School, about an all-school fundraising event called the “GCDS Walk-a-thon.” This walk-a-thon is an event that raises money for two NGOs every fall—one domestic and one international. Students, faculty and staff spend an entire day walking laps around the school campus to earn donations per miles completed. This year the GCDS community selected Teach for America and GrassrootSoccer as the organizations to support. The event was a great success, raising over $5,000 for GRS, and in a notable departure from the traditional GCDS walk-a-thon, participants embraced the GRS vision and dribbled the majority of their miles.
Somewhere over 7,000 miles away, on a different continent, in the opposite hemisphere, on a seemingly sunny October afternoon, Peter and a small group of fellow GRS interns embarked upon a similar expedition. This adventure unfolded in the sparkling city of Kimberley, South Africa. The four interns, Peter, Kristin Fladseth, Anna Barrett, and Lindsay Rotherham, were outfitted with only their bright yellow GrassrootSoccer t-shirts and two Nike soccer balls. Their goal: to dribble approximately 15 km from their home, throughout the heavily trafficked roads and lively neighborhoods of Galeshewe, the nearby township, and finally loop back to return home.
Excitement was in the air with a fast approaching storm in the distance and many kilometers to be traveled. The interns started strong on some of the quieter and well-maintained streets of the city. As they neared the township limits, however, the atmosphere changed, and they were greeted by honking cars and enthusiastic bystanders. Interest mounted as the group dribbled toward a local park and called out to people in the native Setswana. Slowly but surely kids emerged from their homes to join in the football festivities, including participants from the most recent Skillz Holiday Programmes.
A left hand turn took the group onto the busiest road of Galeshewe, where they were ambushed by a horde of intrigued and ecstatic kids. It took only a few passes and dribbles amongst the group of twenty plus children before they were totally hooked to these strange yellow-clad foreigners. Together, they continued on down the road into the heart of Galeshewe, laughing, dribbling, dancing and generally loving this bizarre experience. When the group reached the round-about in the town center, storm clouds had fully formed and rain began to fall upon this unlikely group. Grabbing as many of the small boys and girls into their arms as they could, the interns headed for shelter in a local school. After several minutes of soccer drills underneath an overhang, lightning moved the crew into a classroom, providing an opportunity for some familiar American games. “Heads up seven up” was a big hit as the kids struggled to guess which intern had selected them.
Eventually the sky cleared and the group began their long journey home. A bittersweet goodbye was said to the young, shivering troopers as the wet, deflated soccer balls rolled on their proverbial path through Galeshewe Park and back onto the wide, soggy road home.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Skillz Holiday
Last week was entirely different from our usual routine. We ran two different programs called Skillz Holiday that were intended to keep the kids out of trouble during their week-long break from school and learn about HIV/AIDS while playing soccer. Lindsay and I shared responsibility for one of sites. We basically tried to control chaos everyday. It was exhausting, but well worth it to finally be in the field rather than the office. In total, 103 kids, between the ages of ten and sixteen, graduated from our program.
The daily schedule alternated two Skillz Core activities that taught about HIV/AIDS with two Skillz Street soccer games. Skillz Core has 8 practices in total, which left Friday for a fun World Cup style tournament and graduation for all participants who had attended at least 6 practices. The Skillz Core practices are 45 minutes in length. They begin and are interspersed with “energizers”, which are used to excite the kids and maintain their attention. My current favorite is “Besh”, which involves the coach naming a body part in Setswana, the local language, and everyone moving that body part in a side-to-side dance. I love it so much that I frequently walk around singing it. The coaches and kids also find it hysterical when I try to do it. Apparently my dancing skills aren’t quite up to par.
Following a few energizers, the practice begins. My favorite practice is Risk Field. I may be biased since I taught this game to kids when I volunteered in the Dominican Republic, but I really think it’s the best game because it perfectly combines a soccer activity with learning about HIV/AIDS. The game begins with the kids lining up in two separate groups. In front of each group, there six cones in a straight line that they must dribble through. The ball that each team has represents their life. Each cone represents a different risk in their life. For example, one is labeled “sex without a condom” and another is “sugar mommies and daddies”. The goal is to have all team members dribble through the cones as quickly as possible without touching the cones. During the first round, if a player hits a cone, he or she must do five pushups. In the second round, his or entire team must do five pushups. In the final round, all teams and coaches must do pushups whenever someone hits a cone. The point of the game is that when you take a risk in life, you are not the only person affected. Your friends, your family, your teachers – everyone in your life is affected, especially when it comes to HIV. There is a brilliant quote that captures the essence of HIV in South Africa, that goes along the lines of: If you are not infected, you are still affected.
The Skillz Street games focused on Fair Play, which emphasizes sportsmanship and awards teams extra points for following three extra rules that the teams agree upon. For example, one of the rules they may choose is that whenever a goal is scored, both teams have to celebrate, regardless of whether it was their team or the opposing team that scored. Another rule is that if an opponent falls, you must help him or her up. It was amazing to see these rules diligently followed by the kids. I’ve never seen a team erupt in celebration with their when a goal was scored upon them. I really liked it and hope that the kids incorporate some of the Fair Play philosophy when they play outside of Skillz.
On the last day, we held the World Cup style tournament. We assigned each team a country and they played to reach the championship. Many of the games were decided by penalty kicks at the end, which created a really fun atmosphere. All of the kids in the camp gathered around the goal and the kicker for each kick. Immediately after the shot, the teams would explode in celebration. The winners, runners-up, and best sportsmen of the tournament were awarded special Skillz medals and all graduates were presented with Skillz certificates and Castrol hats (Castrol sponsored the program). They were all pretty pumped to get some goodies.
The last part of the day and perhaps the most important, was an HIV Voluntary Counseling and Testing area that I arranged. New Start, an organization that provides free testing and counseling, agreed to partner with us to test interested participants and coaches. Many kids wanted to be tested, but unfortunately they were not allowed to test unless they were fourteen years old. Most of our kids were younger, but it was great to see their excitement toward learning their status. In total, we had 28 kids test the two sites. One child tested HIV positive and was referred to a local clinic for more counseling and treatment. It’s sad to face the reality of having a child test positively, but the upside is that the child now knows his status and can start treatment immediately. Hopefully, after attending Skillz, he will also take steps to prevent spreading HIV to others. I have so much more to write, but unfortunately not enough time right now. Hooter, Lindsay and I are heading down to Cape Town for Rockin the Daisies with a bunch of other interns. It’s an outdoor, eco-friendly, camping and concert series. We have a massive 10-seater van for the road trip, so it should be a great time. I’ll post more about all the great adventures next week!
Sunday, September 27, 2009
House Tour
The glorious welcome sign at our front gate. Can't get more promising than that.
Home Sweet Home
Lindsay chilling in the spacious living room/kitchen.
Girls' Room
My Nook
Backyard Braai (BBQ)
Front Garden
Monday, September 21, 2009
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Lesotho
This weekend, Hooter, Lindsay, and I traveled to Maseru, the capital of Lesotho (pronounced leh-sue-tue). We wanted to take advantage of a free weekend to visit a new country and see two other GRS interns (Curtis and Austin), who are working there for the year. To get to Lesotho, we took 2 minibuses, which are the most basic form of transport here. It was an interesting experience on many levels. For instance, the way a minibus operates is by waiting in a designated area until it fills with enough people and then it leaves for its destination. If you’re lucky and arrive when there’s an almost full bus, you leave immediately. On the other hand, if you are the first person, you could wait a few hours. Fortunately, the longest we had to wait was an hour a half. However, waiting twice on a trip that takes only three hours by car, can get a little frustrating. We were the only White people riding the minibuses and the other passengers were pretty surprised we were riding them. Still, they were all very friendly. When we had to stop early in our trip (tire troubles) and wait an hour for a new minibus to arrive, we had a great time with two young women and one of their children. This adorable little boy loved getting his picture taken and could do break dancing moves and dance like Beyoncé from her “All the Single Ladies” video.
The women were also open and willing to talk to us when I asked them questions about HIV and the pervasiveness of young, high school-aged girls dating so called “sugar daddies” (older men who buy gifts for younger girls in exchange for sex, despite the truth of this interaction never being fully acknowledged). As the girls are typically from lower economic backgrounds, the cell phones minutes, clothes, cash, and other items they receive are highly desired. They told me that girls with sugar daddies are particularly prominent in Kimberley. I had read and heard that sugar daddies were a problem in spreading HIV, but having the prevalence of it confirmed by someone who is a part of the culture and sees it on a daily basis was much more meaningful. They shared that older men in Mercedes Benzes drive around with young girls, who look like their daughters, but are actually their lovers. Apparently, many girls feel peer pressure to engage in such relationships. One of the women likened it to feeling a need to dress in nicer clothes in order to be popular. However, in this situation, instead of wearing nice clothes, it has been taken to the extreme of engaging in risky sexual behavior in order to gain popularity. This practice is risky because older men are more likely to have HIV. In all likeliness, they probably also have at least one other sexual partner in addition to these young girls, which adds to the chances of spreading HIV. (Multiple concurrent partnerships are a huge risk factor in the spread of HIV, especially in Africa. I will explain it in more details in a future entry)
After our unique experience with minibuses, we finally arrived about six hours later at the Lesotho border. It was amusing to be able to just walk across the border and quickly have our passports stamped. On the way back, I quickly flashed my passport to an officer and he waved me on without even looking at it. It’s quite different from border control at home. TIA as we’re always saying (This Is Africa).
Lesotho is a unique country in that it is entirely surrounded by South Africa. It’s almost like an island country in the center of South Africa. Despite its location, it greatly differs from South Africa. Most noticeably, there are very few White people. The White people that do live there are almost exclusively international volunteers, who practically all know one another. Without the strong presence of a White population like South Africa, racial tension and segregation is minimized. It is much more the portrait of Africa that I had originally imagined. In addition to the racial composition, the landscape significantly differs from our Kimberley home. The most noteworthy and appreciated difference is the presence of mountains. On Saturday, we drove about an hour outside Maseru to a place called Malealea, where we could explore the mountains. We opted out of the pony trekking option and decided to set out on our own adventure. I really felt that I was in the Lion King when we were sitting on a rock ledge, overlooking the dry savannah below. The landscape was pretty cool and at times reminded me of Peru.
On Sunday, we helped Curtis and Austin with an event they had organized. They work with Kick4Life, a partner organization of GRS. It is a British organization that utilizes GRS’s curriculum to teach about HIV and AIDS. I was very impressed that in the previous 2 weeks, their organization had trained ninety GRS coaches. The event was the first opportunity for these new coaches to put their skills to the test. Their energy and passion were great. I was definitely jealous. The coaches in Lesotho are exclusively volunteers and therefore, only receive transport money. In Kimberley, we have fewer than ten coaches and they are dropping like flies despite receiving a stipend in addition to transport money. I only wish we could have coaches that were as passionate and excited to volunteer as the coaches in Lesotho.
The event that Kick4Life hosted combined a soccer tournament with an HIV testing component. All of the kids who participated were orphans. Some had mismatching shoes, others played barefoot, but they were all excited to play soccer. Boys were the majority, but there were still some feisty girls in there. Each team was assigned a few GRS coaches, who began they day by running some energizers and GRS activities. The main lesson they taught is called “Choices”, which emphasizes that everyone has the right to make his or her own choices in life and that it’s okay to choose something different from everyone else. It may be something as simple as your favorite sport or color, but it also applies to choosing to abstain or use a condom when others aren’t. The kids are to recognize that they control their own lives and with smart choices, they have bright futures.
After this activity, the tournament games began. The kids were competitive and seemed to really enjoy themselves. There was also music playing throughout the day and people who weren’t playing made some really fun, spontaneous dance circles. I loved watching them dance and hope that one day I will be half as good as they are. It’s great that no one is shy about dancing here. Young, old, male, female – everyone dances when they hear music. I really wish it was the same at home.
The part of the tournament that I was most interested in was the voluntary HIV testing component. We’re having a Skillz Holiday camp at the end of this month and my main contribution to it is securing a testing partner. Like the tournament in Lesotho, we will be using the help of an organization called New Start. New Start is great because it provides nurses, counselors, confidential tents, and testing kits, all for free. I recently met with a woman from New Start in Kimberley, and was thrilled with how cooperative the organization is. The way that the testing component worked at the Lesotho tournament, was if people wanted to get tested, they could visit a tent adjacent to the fields. Once inside, they receive pre-counseling, testing, and post-counseling, regardless of whether the test is positive or negative. The entire process is confidential and people that test positive are referred to local clinics or hospitals where they can start receiving treatment. I met a young man at the tournament, who ended up there just because he heard music. Once there, we started talking to him and he decided to get tested for the first time. I felt really moved by his decision. For the first time, a face was put to the idea of the entire process. It made it very real for me. I also heard that many of the newly trained coaches got tested during the day. They’re huge role models for the kids, so I found their brave decision quite admirable.
Thanks for sticking out this entry – somehow they always end up longer than I intended. Cape Town interns are coming to visit us this weekend! We plan on doing some fly fishing (a first for me) and seeing the South African national soccer team, Bafana Bafana, play Madagascar in a ‘friendly’ match. It’s the first time they’ve ever played in Kimberley and I’m pretty surprised they chose it as the location for the game, but I’m pumped so I’m not going to complain.
Also, a special thanks to everyone who has donated to my internship! I love the support and I’m happy to have raised a total of $8,000!
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