ZINDUKA

Zinduka soccer
So I just received the honor to attend a grassroots zinduka soccer seminar with 9 other volunteers and 30 counterparts. I chose to bring my friend Joel who helped me with the WAD (World AIDS Day) event, he also helped me start the health club in the primary school so it seemed like a great choice. I had to bring 2 counterparts so I let Joel choose the second so I ended up with Joel and Vitalis. This seminar is designed to teach us to be master coaches but really it taught on how to be a role model. The grassroots program has an age target of 10-19 with 10 lessons. The lessons should be done in 3 months and each child should go through the program once. Each lesson involves different topics but they are all HIV/AIDS related. An example of a lesson is that there is a goal and two lines of people about 30ft out. One line of kids is HIV and the other line is a striker line. For the first round the striker line is abstaining from sex so you blow the whistle and after the kid reaches about half way you blow it again and the kid in the HIV line tries to catch him before he reaches the goal (representing their life goals). The second round the striker line has to dribble 1 ball representing one sexual partner, a few kids gets caught by HIV. In the 3rd round the striker line has to dribble 2 or 3 balls representing multiple partners where they all pretty much get caught. This lesson, like all of the lessons is very visual and I am SO PUMPED to have learned it!! Of course you have to know your audience and adjust accordingly but all in all these are great games to get kids out of the classroom but really learning. Also the most important thing about this project is that it opens up conversation with safe people who have time to hear them out. My counterparts are expected to be role models and always there for the kids and their questions which I really think can foster a safe environment which will help to dispel myths and bring out real information.