Grassroots Soccer International

Partnering in the field

Who: Grassroots Soccer (GRS) was started in 2002 by Dr. Tommy Clark and three other former professional soccer players (including ex-Survivor contestant, Ethan Zohn). After an period of initial success with its pilot program in Zimbabwe, the group received additional funding and was able to expand to reach a total of 13 sub-Saharan African countries. It currently has a permamnent staff of 60 and some 300 volunteers in the field. Learn how to become a volunteer by clicking here.

What: GRS program is a unique synthesis of football and community health education, designed to educate youth about HIV/AIDS, and, in so doing, equip them with the knowledge to lead healthy, disease free lives. They affect such empowerment through their Skillz curriculum, which draws connections between football and the life skills that enable the students, who range in age from 12-18, to be proactive in protecting themselves and their communities from the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Where: The program began in Zimbabwe and operates other flagship sites in Zambia and South Africa. In addition, it joins with "implementing partners," which work in conjunction with GRS to enact the Skillz curriculum in another 10 states (Liberia, Cote d' Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Botswana, and Namibia). They have also expanded their outreach to Central America, partnering with organizations in Guatemala and the Dominican Republic.

Why it works: The fundamental power of football is its ability to create connections amongst people. Thus, the organization smartly focuses on capturing footie's immense popular appeal to make inroads into otherwise insular communities, while also redeploying the sports' tremendous power to increase the efficacy of its community education initiatives.

GRS uses footballers as role models and teachers, precisely because they are best able to channel the popular legitimacy and prestige that footie lends, and so they are uniquely situated to break down the stigmas surrounding HIV/AIDS and to affect the attitudes and behaviors of their students.

Results: GRS has already reached out to 272,000 kids through its direct programs and partnerships. In terms of actual impact on these participants, a 2004 Children's Health Council evaluation found that the percentage of kids who knew where they could go to for help with HIV related problems increased from 47% to 76%; the percentage of kids who thought condoms were effective rose from 49% to 71%; and the percentage of kids who could list three or more people they knew they could talk to about HIV surged from 33% to 72%.

A 2008 behavioral study revealed similarly promising results. In fact, in the 2-5 years after a GRS intervention, students were "six times less likely to report a sexual debut between 12-15 years, four-times less likely to report sexual activity in the last year, and eight times less likely to having had more than one sexual partner."

How to help: Beyond volunteering as a GRS intern, you can of course donate, or, for the more actively inclined, you can host a 3 v. 3 charity footie tournament or even have your team partake in the 2009-2010 commemorative games...or both!