How Soccer Explains HIV Prevention and the Peace Corps

Last month I got a call from James Donald, our GRS Country Director, asking if I’d like to help out with a training of Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs) in our new Peace Corps Skillz curriculum up in Polokwane. To this, I replied, “Definitely! Where’s Polokwane?”

So I hopped in a car with co-workers KK, Doug and Tony and began driving north from Jo’burg to Limpopo Province, one of the most rural parts of South Africa, in order to help train others in our HIV-prevention curriculum—I was excited, to say the least.

Sure I'll go to Limpopo! Where's that?!?!

Now, when thinking of a Peace Corps training in Polokwane, I imagined a once-in-a-lifetime experience: arriving in a dusty village and working out of an old, beat-up schoolhouse for a couple days. Needless to say I was a little surprised (and just a bit disappointed) to find out that Polokwane was the capital of Limpopo Province and that we were conducting the training out of a conference room in a 4-star hotel.

Grassroot Soccer (GRS) has been partnered with the Peace Corps for several years now and, in my opinion, provides GRS with the best ability to spread its Peace Corps Skillz curriculum to rural parts of the world that we otherwise wouldn’t be able to access.

An introductory video to Peace Corps Skillz

For three days, we delivered a great training to some very dedicated PCVs and their community counterparts (local partners), going through our GRS practices--essentially soccer-inspired lessons and activities.

 Peace Corps member Lebo dribbling two "sexual partners" during Breakaway from HIV

Facilitator Doug (remember him from the video?) leading an energizer with Peace Corps Volunteers

While Doug and Tony led the PCVs through most of the curriculum, I was fortunate enough to be able to facilitate some activities including our “elevator pitch” lesson. The lesson allowed the PCVs and community counterparts to practice talking to different people (a kid, a principal, President Obama, etc.) about the GRS curriculum.

What I found really cool about the training was that we not only got to certify PCVs but their community counterparts as well. To be able to teach people from remote areas about HIV-prevention, many who were hearing this info for the first time, was pretty amazing.

 Head Facilitator and GRS Master Coach Tony leading the group through material on HIV prevention

At the end of the training, I was so pleased to hear some of the ways the PCVs and their community counterparts described the curriculum: “interactive”, “fun”, “informative”, “inspiring”—all things that made me incredibly happy with the work I’ve been doing.

And so, from there, we made the trip back to Johannesburg, leaving our mark on Limpopo, an area I hadn't even known about two days previously--pretty awesome stuff.

How Soccer Explains...The Crooked Cop

Driving in Downtown Jozi can be hectic: people running red lights, minibus taxis swerving if front of you, goats peppering the road (in Alexandra, at least…). In all this chaos, which I can manage at times, there also exists the most frustrating and sometimes costly thing: police road blocks.

There seems to be two types of road blocks- the real ones and the fake ones. The legal ones, usually demarcated by traffic cones and 5 or 6 cops, are legitimate set-ups done in order to see if drivers actually have their licenses, etc.—these are fine by me and ensure safe driving.

The illegal ones, set up by a couple cops trying to get bribes out of people, can be pretty frustrating.

The other day on my way to work I was at a red light—all was normal. The light turned green, I turned left, and found myself on the next street only to be staring down a cop who was pointing right at my car and giving me that “pull over” look.

I obliged, thinking I’d show my passport and be on my way. Turns out this isn’t the case. “You went through that red light back there”, he said in a cheeky manner. In my head I think my brain exploded, you kidding me?

I try to explain to him that I didn’t but he wouldn’t budge, in the end telling me that I’d have to pay him a R1000 find ($120 USD). I began to realize that this wasn’t a real road block but rather just a cop looking for a big bribe.

Just as I was about to begin to talk my way out of a ticket, a helping hand reached in to assist me: soccer.

“Is that a red card?” The cop asked curiously, pointing at the Red Card for HIV-risk in the window near my rear-view mirror. “Are you a referee? I love soccer.”

“Why yes it is and I am, kinda…” I said, gleaming that the cop got sidetracked from his original mission. “It’s a risky behavior red card—I work and play soccer with kids in Alexandra. It’s pretty cool”. I showed him the GRS t-shirt I was wearing as proof.

The cop was pretty interested, seemingly about the soccer more than anything else. He continued to tell me that he was a fan of the Kaizer Chiefs—I told him I was a Pirates supporter and we had a quick laugh.

“ I will give you a verbal warning for today,” he said in the end.

Just another example that soccer is universal and you can use it as a tool in any scenario- whether teaching HIV prevention or getting out of a phony ticket.