BY MUNYARADZI BLESSING DOMA
Grassroot Soccer, an organisation which was established over 20 years ago and has reached more than 18 million young people in over 60 countries, using soccer to address several health challenges.
The organisation which works through partnerships says it uses soccer as the hook because it’s the most popular and accessible sport in the world.
Adolescents have been helped in areas which include HIV and AIDS, sexual and reproductive health, maternal health, mental health and gender based violence.
Happy Ncube, Partnerships Program Manager at Grassroot Soccer, further added that Africa where they have several successful projects, has the most engaged fan base.
“Soccer is a powerful tool that can teach many important life skills: resiliency, hard work, courage, trust, and teamwork.
“We use soccer games, metaphors and frameworks to engage young people around the most critical health challenges in their lives and teach them life-saving health skills.
“The GRS approach fuses soccer, health, role models, fun, and inspiration to drive meaningful and positive behaviour change,” she said.
She added that the power of soccer is used to equip young people with the much needed life-saving information, services, and mentorship they need to live healthier lives.
Ncube also revealed that GRS was founded in 2002 by Dr Tommy Clark and teammates Kirk Friedrich, Ethan Zohn, and Methembe Ndlovu.
It is said Tommy and his teammates had witnessed the devastating effects of HIV while playing professional soccer together in Zimbabwe.
“After watching friends die of AIDS, Tommy and his teammates recognized that soccer; a positive force in the community; could be used to engage adolescents to stop the spread of HIV,” added Ncube.
She added that over the past 20 plus years, the organisation has evolved to take an integrated approach to adolescent health, recognizing the interconnectedness of young people’s most pressing health challenges such sexual and reproductive health, HIV/AIDS, gender-based violence, and mental health.
“GRS looks at adolescent health issues in an integrated way; the relationship between HIV treatment and depression.
“Since 2002, we have grown from an initial cohort of 14 trained GRS Coaches to a global network of more than 13,000.
“We’ve reached more than 18 million young people in over 60 countries. GRS reached over 4 million youth in 2022 with health and life skills programs and services through our unique in-person SKILLZ interventions, digital platforms, and SKILLZ Magazines,” she revealed.
She added that locally “we are working through partners covering the whole of Zimbabwe.”
It was also revealed that through community-based organisations, international none governmental organisations, national and local governments, they have managed to reach more adolescents.
Ncube also revealed that through their interventions, GRS participants are three times more likely to test for HIV and get on treatment, resulting in 20 times fewer new HIV infections.
“GRS female participants are two times more likely to use modern contraception, resulting in 2/3 times fewer unintended pregnancies, unsafe abortions, and maternal deaths.
“GRS male participants are 10 times more likely to undergo voluntary male medical circumcision (which reduces HIV transmission), resulting in 11 times fewer new HIV infections.
“GRS achieved a 96 percent reduction in clinically significant depression symptoms amongst youth living with HIV who completed GRS’s Coach-led group therapy in Zambia.
“After completing GRS’s new mental health-enhanced sexual and reproductive health program in South Africa, female program participants were 24 percent more likely to identify local sources of support for challenges with mental health and alcohol.
“MindSKILLZ participants in Kenya demonstrated a 48 percent reduction in stigmatizing beliefs about mental health,” she added.
