Using the Power of Soccer in the Fight Against HIV/AIDS...
Grassroot Soccer (GRS) is a social profit organization that uses the power of soccer in the fight against HIV and AIDS, providing youth worldwide with the knowledge, life skills and support to live healthier lives. The approach taken uses the power and popularity of soccer to break down cultural barriers, educates youth and bring communities together to communicate key messages involving HIV and Aids.
Founded by former professional soccer players in Zimbabwe in 2002, GRS trains African soccer stars, coaches, teachers, and peer educators in the world's most HIV-affected countries to deliver an interactive HIV prevention and life skills curriculum to youth.
“Soccer is an integral component of local cultures across the world. It brings smiles to children’s faces even in the worst circumstances. In most places simply arriving at a field with a soccer ball will win you instant friendship,” Kirk Friedrich, Managing Director of Grassroot Soccer South Africa.
After the evaluation of the pilot project in Zimbabwe and making a few adjustments to the curriculum, the model was expanded to other countries with high prevalence rates of the HIV virus. In addition to flagship operations in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Zambia GRS works with partner organizations (training educators and sharing the curriculum) in the following countries: Lesotho, Malawi, Kenya, Tanzania, Sudan, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Botswana, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic .
Thanks to massive support from major partners like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, F4, USAID, Nike, De Beers, The Elton Jon Foundation, Castrol and FIFA, GRS has trained over 3,000 coaches and over 350,000 youths have been educated in the organization’s educational curricula.
Visit the Grassroot Soccer here. Every bit of support counts! Be an agent of change, as we (re)write the future.
