Week one of Skillz Street came and went like a whirlwind, over one hundred girls attended on each of the 3 days and they really seemed to enjoy themselves which was great to see. Being in such a central location has made our tournament an attraction in the Red location area. The field is gated but many community members have stopped by to have a look at events on the front lawn of the Red Location museum.
A phenomenon that we predicted before the start of this intervention was a number of boys being drawn to the field, wanting to somehow get involved in the soccer. It is simply not common to see a group of 100 girls playing football in the township, and the boys are frankly used to having all the action when it comes to football. Droves of boys have sort of stood on the sidelines each day (we meet on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays), quizzically looking at the girls participating in Skillz activities and Fair Play football. I feel a bit bad that we cannot currently engage them, but the importance of including girls is well documented and the need to provide a safe space for the girls is great.
Several ladies have joined in the intervention, having seen the activities or heard about it from friends. The youngest girls participating are 10 and the oldest 15. Week 2 starts today, and I hope that the high energy and enthusiasm will continue. Most importantly I hope the goals of the intervention are met: in addition to providing a recreational for girls the program aims to educate them about the risks of contracting HIV; the girls get to identify their personal strengths; set goals for themselves; note the dangerous areas in their neighborhoods and become more aware of the resources and opportunities available to them in their community.
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