Coaching For Hope

More about Coaching For Hope

The combination of poverty, a young population, lack of information, migration to the cities, the distinct threat of HIV/AIDS, AND a wild passion for football leads to an atmosphere that is ripe for the CFH initiative: one that uses minimal resources to empower young people to make healthy life decisions. By working with partners to recruit and train local educators, CFH taps into existing networks to reach vulnerable youth. The educators then lead football based HIV prevention sessions in their communities. Being a part of a team, practicing football, having role models, and sharing information help youth to feel safe, gain important life skills and feel empowered to take control in life. Young women, persons with disabilities, and youth living in the streets especially benefit from the model, which favours inclusion and engagement of people who are often marginalized by society. Young people have the chance to share their knowledge and compete in football/HIV awareness tournaments. CFH’s unique football first approach allows for a great number of young people to get involved in the project and the local coach accreditation system, whereby local coaches progress to become lead coach trainers, ensuring sustainability and local ownership.