GirlGI | Girl Gone International Issue 6 | Page 64

The power of soccer
to be more than just a sport struck me
while I was living in a rural South African
village, volunteering for 2 years with the
Peace Corps. Life there was uncertain
and challenging, but the modest, dusty
soccer field was always a place of hope.
It was there, that the children who were
most quiet in the classroom opened up
and gained confidence, empowered by
the bonds formed with their teammates
and coaches.
I wanted to spark that same enthusiasm at a school where I taught classes
about HIV – a vitally important topic in a
country where one in five adults is HIV
positive. This is when I got in touch with
Grassroot Soccer, an organization which
harnesses the global passion for soccer
to inspire, educate and mobilize youth in
the fight against HIV.
Grassroot Soccer (GRS) was founded in
2002 by four pro soccer players in Zimbabwe who saw their communities devastated by HIV and AIDS and realized
they had a unique platform from which
to raise awareness and inspire change.
Kids learn best from people they respect
and identify with; GRS recruits their role
models - both soccer stars and local
community coaches - to fight stigmas
and spread the message of HIV prevention through programs utilizing active
games and sports-based metaphors to
educate in a fun, accessible way.