WhizzKids United
This project's parent organization is Africaid HIV Children's Charity
It operates in South Africa
It uses Football (Soccer)
Entered the Sport for Health Award
More about WhizzKids United
WhizzKids United - WKU - is an exciting and innovative HIV prevention intervention targeting teenagers, primarily in Africa. The programme is designed to induce and sustain healthy behavioural change amongst adolescents aged 12-15 and consists of three components: two school-based interventions and a permanent venue of youth-specific counselling and clinical support.
The WKU Life Skills football course educates kids in a fun, engaging way by using football as an analogy for life. Kids who demonstrate exceptional leadership and aptitude in life skills are then trained to implement the second follow up intervention, WKU Peer Education for their classmates.
Peer Educators serve as an approachable source of information and front-line help. These two interventions ultimately steer youth to WKU Health Academies, which cater exclusively to the needs of the adolescent population. Health Academies are staffed by specially trained health professionals and offer a wide range of health and psychosocial support services including one-to-one sexual health counselling designed to maintain positive behavioural change, and HIV testing and treatment. Having partnered with corporations, government agencies and FIFA’s Football for Hope, WhizzKids United is successfully pioneering a behavioural revolution through football that will help stop the HIV/AIDS epidemic.