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KENYA: Feature StoriesKenya Overview | Current Projects | Publications | Feature Stories
Football to the Rescue
October 7, 2008
APHIA II NEP holds first "Chill" Football Tournament to educate youth about important reproductive health messages
It's a fight for possession between a Duache FC player (in orange) and a Ghetto Boys FC player (in blue) during the semis. Ghetto Boys FC won the match. | Garissa, Kenya: An orange jersey darts down the dirt field, its wearer’s feet deftly maneuvering a bouncing black and white ball. His eyes fix on the approaching goal. With a swift flick of his feet, the ball shoots through the air toward its target—another goal scored for the Duache Football Club (FC) and Pathfinder’s AIDS, Population, and Health Integrated Assistance (APHIA II) North East Province (NEP) program.
APHIA II NEP launched the “Chill” Football Tournament, which brings together youth from 40 schools in the Garissa region of Kenya, in August 2008. The outreach project promotes the avoidance of high risk sexual behavior for both in and out of school youth between 12 and 24 years old. Reaching this age group is particularly important as they are considered highly at risk for unwanted pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, and HIV/AIDS. The project takes great care to be culturally sensitive to local issues, particularly adolescent reproductive health. To connect with these youth, “Chill”—a local slang word for abstaining—uses creative ways such as the football tournament, to impart important messages about safe sex and the prevention of STIs and HIV. What better way to drive home the “Chill” message than to hold a football tournament, and engage a new audience!
The APHIA II NEP tournament was held at the Garissa Primary School grounds from Sunday August 17th to Saturday August 30th. It attracted 16 teams, each with a membership of 20 players. Eight matches were played in the knock-off stage, followed by the quarterfinals and semis. The final match came down to a face off between the Northern Rangers and the Ghetto Boys FC. Northern Rangers FC emerged winners in a penalty shoot out, scoring four goals to the three scored against them.
Mohamed A. Maalim, APHIA II NEP Youth/OVC coordinator and tournament organizer said, “The youth had great fun as they received abstinence messages from peer educators.” He added that about 2,000 young men were reached with these messages during the two-week tournament. Educational sessions were held just before the matches as the teams and their fans anticipated the kick off whistle.
Duache FC players and Ghetto Boys FC players play into the twilight hour as the crowd watches intensely. | “The winning team is expected to become a Chill Ambassador within the football fraternity,” said Maalim. He said that the tournament achieved its objectives to provide a fun outlet for local youth and educate them with support from the Kenya Football Federation (KFF).
In order to sustain this unique initiative, APHIA II NEP has also trained one of the KFF coaches as a peer educator. The aim is to give abstinence messages before every KFF organized match held in Garissa town.
“Due to the success of the first tournament we are now planning to hold a similar one in the near future,” Maalim said. However, he regretted that it proved difficult to incorporate a mobile voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) unit in the field due to high stigma levels in the community. To overcome this, Maalim said that people who would like to access VCT services after learning about its importance during the tournament will be referred to a professional counselor at the provincial Garissa General Hospital.
APHIA II NEP is a five-year project between the Kenya Government and USAID covering all 11 districts in the region. Pathfinder is working to implement APHIA II NEP as managing partner of the Washington, DC-based Extending Service Delivery Project (ESD), a five-year Leader with Associate Cooperative Agreement that works in partnership with Management Sciences for Health, IntraHealth International, and Meridian Group International, Inc.The project primarily focuses on improving and expanding HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and reproductive health/family planning facilities; the role of civil society in increasing healthy behavior and; expanding care and support for people and families affected by HIV/AIDS.
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