Emory's Alumni Newspaper Interview

I was recently asked by Emory's Alumni Newspaper if they could write an article on me for their spring newsletter. I was asked a lot of questions regarding my internship and living in South Africa, as well as the role my undergraduate education played in my decision to volunteer for Grassroot Soccer. Please email me if you have any questions or would like me to expand on my time here.

How did you get involved in Grassroot Soccer? The summer going into my senior year my dad sent me an email with a link to the Grassroot Soccer (GRS) website. He said there was a small article in the paper about a St. Louis girl who was working in South Africa for a non-profit organization that uses soccer to educate youth about HIV & AIDS prevention. I had just visited southern Africa earlier that summer and had completely fallen in love with the people and the culture to the point where I knew that I wanted to return and dedicate my time as a volunteer after my graduation from Emory. After I did some research on GRS and discovered that it uses my life-long passion of soccer to make a difference in the most highly affected HIV & AIDS countries in the world, I knew I had found a perfect match for my first post-college experience.

What is your role there? I work in the Programs Department where I split my time between working in the office and spending time out in the townships with our trained coaches who deliver our curriculum. I have spent the majority of my time working on Corporate Social Responsibility projects. The first one I worked on was FIFA’s official campaign for the World Cup where they are building 20 “Football for Hope Centres” throughout Africa. These 20 Centres will focus on health, education, and football. The first one they built was in the township of Khayelitsha where I work and they named GRS to be the centre host, an unbelievable honor. I helped plan and coordinate the logistics behind FIFA’s inaugural ceremony for this first centre opening. I was also recently named project manager for the programs we are delivering to youth who are out on holiday during the World Cup. With funding from Castrol, one of the official sponsors of the World Cup, GRS is aiming to graduate approximately 4,500 youth from our curriculum in one month throughout 9 different cities in South Africa: Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban, Bloemfontein, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, Pretoria, Polokwane, and Phalaborwa.

How is Grassroot Soccer spreading awareness of HIV prevention? How does the organization work? GRS trains African soccer stars, coaches, teachers, and peer educators in the world’s most HIV-affected countries to deliver a curriculum called ‘Skillz’ which utilizes the popularity of soccer to teach youth about HIV & AIDS prevention. The Skillz curriculum focuses on building basic life skills that help boys and girls adopt healthy behaviors and live risk-free. Through a series of interactive activities and discussions students gain a tangible understanding of HIV and AIDS and get a chance to practice the skills necessary for sustainable behavior change. Key curriculum topics include making healthy decisions, avoiding risks, building support networks, reducing stigma and discrimination, increasing knowledge about testing and treatment, addressing gender issues, and assessing values.

What particular challenges do you face in this kind of work? Living in a city like Cape Town that is so unbelievably divided has made work difficult for me at times. The dichotomy between the rich and the poor, the beautiful and the impoverished, and black and white is hard to cope with. One day I am looking out on the ocean, surrounded by mountains and affluent neighborhoods, and the next I am out in the townships where all I can see for miles are tin shacks, trash strewn everywhere, and kids roaming about unsupervised. Every day I work out there I know that approximately one in six people I pass on the road is infected with HIV…it’s just not something I’ll ever really get used to.

Working in an organization like this must be very rewarding. Tell me in what ways working with Grassroot Soccer is a valuable experience for you. The experience I’ve gained, the people I’ve met, the culture I’ve been exposed to, and the way I’m pushed every day to continue working hard to try and make a difference have been the biggest rewards to me. I have learned so much from working here about the people, the culture, how non-profits operate, the universal language and power of soccer, and the devastating effects of HIV & AIDS. One of the most rewarding and enlightening experiences happened when I first moved here. I was out in the township visiting a site where we were teaching our curriculum and noticed some kids hanging out during their break. I stuck out like a sore thumb because, unfortunately, it is rare for them to see a white, blonde girl. They were obviously laughing to each other about me and whispering but I walked over anyway. I took out a soccer ball and started dribbling around and passing, and immediately all the barriers came crashing down. Even though I couldn’t communicate well with the kids because they were Xhosa speakers, and we came from completely different backgrounds and cultures, the moment I brought a soccer ball into the picture it was as if we had known each other for years and were best friends. It was easily one of the most rewarding and remarkable moments since being here because I witnessed first-hand that something as simple as a soccer ball has the ability to merge two people and two cultures together, and I think there are very few things in this world that have that same capability. More importantly, I gained even more confidence than I already had that soccer was powerful enough to successfully address and have an impact on the biggest health issue this continent, and our world, faces. Grassroot Soccer continues to prove to me everyday that we have the power to reduce the spread of this deadly virus by using soccer to educate children about HIV & AIDS, and our numbers and research prove it.

Where do you live and work in Africa? Was it daunting to move so far away and to such a different culture? Cape Town, South Africa. We have an office in the Central Business District but all the fieldwork we do is in the township of Khayelitsha, located on the peripheral of the city. It was slightly daunting moving here but I was so excited to have been granted the opportunity to make a difference in other peoples' lives, learn from a different culture, and explore a new land that any of my initial hesitations were mitigated.

I know that you were very involved in service and raising money to help others while you were at Oxford and Emory. How did you get interested in helping others in this way? My mom suffered from breast cancer so in highschool my dad and I came up with the idea to have his clothing and manufacturing company donate their breast cancer awareness merchandise to me, which I would then in turn sell at highschool functions. I donated 100% of the proceeds to breast cancer research at Washington University’s Siteman Cancer Center. The sales were extremely successful (over $10,000 in two years) and it was very rewarding raising money for a cause that I had a personal connection to.

When will you return to the United States? What do you plan to do when you return? I will return to the States in mid-August when my internship is over but I am unsure if I will stay there for very long. I plan on applying for jobs with companies such as Nike, Adidas, and FIFA in their CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) division and would love the opportunity to work in another country. I have also grown keen to the idea of applying for jobs that are focused on event management and strategic marketing, primarily in the field of sports. We'll see what happens! :)

While you were at Oxford, I know you were a soccer player. Tell me a little more about what you were involved in on campus. I was a member of the Business Club and was elected Vice President my sophomore year. I also continued fundraising for breast cancer research and worked extremely hard on gaining the support of athletic teams and the entire student body. With the help of Emory’s Athletic Department, I started the “Think Pink” initiative on campus. I was in charge of coordinating and planning the numerous fundraising events we held on campus, including breast cancer merchandise sales and a “Pink Tie Affair.”

Did Oxford play a role in cultivating or contributing to your interest in helping others? If so, how? If not, where did this interest start? My interest started in highschool but Oxford undoubtedly played a role in cultivating my desire to help others. The support I gained from the student body and the staff members was critical and inspiring. Oxford’s small size and the way in which everyone is so close and supportive of one another allows it to help nurture and grow a common cause in a way that I think is very rare among universities. The success of the fundraisers at Oxford transferred over to main campus where I continued to receive immense support from the Oxford community which helped take raising money for breast cancer research to a level I never thought possible.

Video

Dear Family and Friends,

I hope you take the time to view this 4 1/2 minute video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXmQYTStHps)I made of my first 6 months living in South Africa. So you can fully understand its content, there are a few terms I’d like to define:

• Skillz: Grassroot Soccer’s innovative curriculum that uses the power of soccer to teach both boys and girls between the ages of 12-18 about HIV & AIDS prevention. Graduates must complete 6 of the 8 core Skillz lessons. Our Skillz DVD Release Party honored 20 graduates who were featured in our Coaches Guide DVD.
• 20 Football for Hope Centres for 2010: This refers to FIFA’s official CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) campaign for the 2010 South Africa World Cup to raise funds for the creation of 20 Football for Hope Centres for public health, education and football for youth across Africa.
• First Football for Hope Centre (FFHC) Kick-Off: This is the celebration of the inauguration of the First Football for Hope Centre. The event took place the day following the World Cup draw when the top 100 media from all over the world were in town. Speakers included the President of FIFA, the Premiere of the Western Cape, and the Minister of Sport and Recreation for South Africa.
• Give HIV the Red Card: This is a term common in soccer that has become Grassroot Soccer’s campaign introduced at the FFHC Kick-Off. The red card represents kids saying no to risky behavior associated with contracting HIV and AIDS, such as unprotected sex, multiple concurrent partners, peer pressure, and drug and alcohol abuse.

The Journey Continues...

Hi all,

Lots to report from South Africa! My life has been very busy here and I am enjoying every minute of it. I spend a fair amount of time in the office but still get to travel to the township of Khayelitsha at least once a week to meet with the coaches who implement our HIV & AIDS curriculum (Skillz). There are 14 coaches in Cape Town and I have started to form close relationships with almost all of them. At the meetings we discuss plans for upcoming events, materials and support they need, and how their interventions are progressing. It is awesome to see how passionate and excited the coaches are about teaching the kids Skillz. It is especially amazing to hear the coaches talk about how much the kids enjoy the Skillz activities and how “cool” they think it is…a true sign that our method of intervention is effective and successful! J

Skillz features a core curriculum of eight 45-minute sessions. It teaches boys and girls day-to-day skills that aid them in living a risk-free life. Topics of Skillz activities include: HIV basics, peer pressure, stigma and discrimination, risk awareness, partner reduction, gender awareness, Voluntary Counseling and Testing, social support, and positive living. One such activity is called “risk field,” where participants dribble a soccer ball in between cones representing HIV-related risks—multiple partners, drug/alcohol abuse, sugar daddies, etc. If one player hits a cone, he and his teammates must complete 3 pushups, showing how the consequences of one person’s risk can not only affect him, but also his friends, family, and community. Other activities follow this same pattern of discovery-based learning—youth learn through active participation, as opposed to the passive “chalk-and-talk” style common among many African public schools. Skillz further aims to encourage increased understanding of and open dialogue about HIV & AIDS, recognizing that silence and stigma are pervasive drivers of the HIV epidemic. Skillz further challenges youth to “Make Your Move” and take action by educating people in their communities and HIV & AIDS.

In the office I am currently working on several different projects. The first one is a DVD Release Party on October 2^nd for the Skillz DVD that 20 kids from Harare helped film. The DVD was created as an advanced training tool to improve the coaches’ abilities to educate youth with the Skillz curriculum. It also serves as a method to further instill the edification of the curriculum to the youth. My fellow intern, Allen Bourdon, and I were put in charge of this event so I am really looking forward to seeing the outcome since this is my first big project. We were also able to get an ex-professional soccer player to attend the event and make a speech so it should be a really memorable and exciting experience for the kids (and for me!).

Another one of my projects includes fundraising for FIFA’s Football for Hope Centre. While FIFA donated a considerable amount of money for the centre to be built, there is still not enough in the budget for pavement or trees. As a result, I was put in charge of finding local companies who would be willing to donate these services and products. I was able to get two nurseries to agree to donate trees and shrubbery for the centre. As for the paving, I am waiting to hear back from our architects (AFH-Architects for Humanity) on the specific paving company they would like me to contact since they think the company responsible for paving the World Cup stadiums would be interested in making an in-kind donation to the centre. More to come on that! J

I have also been busy helping plan our Skillz Holiday Program for next week. Skillz Holiday is an intervention type implemented when schools are out for Holiday (what we call Spring Break back in the States). As the schools are out from September 28^th-October 2^nd, we are hoping to graduate approximately 200 kids from our program just by the end of the week! I helped find two schools to host the event (100 kids at each school). Also, with the financial support of the oil conglomerate, Castrol, we are working hard on setting up a VCT (Voluntary Counseling and Testing Centre) in one of the schools.

One of the most memorable experiences I’ve had since arriving to South Africa was on September 11^th when the Cape Town interns were invited to attend a party at the U.S. Consulate General’s house. The event was held to honor the work of U.S. volunteers in South Africa. Alberta Mayberry, the U.S. Consul General, gave a powerful speech (I literally had goose-bumps) recognizing our commitment to serve in South Africa and quoted words from President Obama’s speech made earlier that day. She also awarded each volunteer with a Certificate of Appreciation. The certificate read “for selfless service as an American Volunteer in Cape Town, South Africa, presented on Interfaith (National) Service Day, September 11, 2009”. As I listened to her speech and received my certificate, I realized that I am now apart of a much bigger network of people, not just Americans, but all nationalities, who have decided to spend their time volunteering in South Africa. In my own words, it was a very cool feeling and a unique and amazing experience.

As for my other activities, I joined a gym down the street from my house and started training for the Two Oceans Half-Marathon. I also joined the University of Cape Town’s Club Soccer Team. However, a few weeks ago I tore my meniscus in a soccer tournament at Grassy Park so my marathon training has been put on hold. Right now I am on crutches and in an enormous knee brace (the thing literally takes up my entire leg) but the doctor said I will not need surgery and I should be back running in about 5 weeks which isn’t too bad!

I traveled to Kimberley, South Africa last weekend with my housemates to visit three of our fellow interns who are now stationed there. Despite the 10 hour drive each way, we had a great time! We saw a lot of ostriches and antelope on the drive and, to my surprise, the roads were in excellent condition. I also attended my first professional soccer game in Africa! The South African National Team, Bafana Bafana (“the boys, the boys”) played Madagascar and won 1-0! The stadium holds 20,000 people and was completely packed for the game. Because of my knee injury and the fact that I am on crutches, I got special treatment for the game and was allowed to sit on the ledge literally right next to South Africa’s bench which was pretty awesome. I got some great pictures of the players!

Also, I am still short of my fundraising goal so if you, or anyone you know, may be interested in donating, please pass this along! I would really appreciate it. J

As always, thanks so much for your support!

Love,

Annie

Cape Town!

Dear Family and friends,

I apologize for not updating my blog sooner. As you can imagine, moving to a new continent has been everything but an easy experience and has left me with very little free time. However, I am finally beginning to get settled here and just moved into my new house in Cape Town with 6 other amazing interns! I am living in Sea Point, just 2 blocks from the ocean and less than a mile from the new Green Point Stadium they are building for the World Cup! It is an incredible location to say the least and is also very safe. There is an iron gate in front of the door to get into our building, the streets are lighted, and our landlord happens to be the head of one of the chapters of Hell’s Angels!

I was selected to work in Cape Town for the next year as a Programs intern. I am really lucky to have been granted this position because it was the exact job and location I requested. As a Programs intern, I will be involved with several different aspects of the successful delivery of the GRS curriculum. I will mainly be working in the field but will also have responsibilities in the office as well. My duties include, but are by no means limited to:

• Program Design
• Program Management/Execution
• Staff Management/Support
• Event Planning/Management (includes planning and logistics of training of coaches, voluntary counseling and testing tournaments, and street leagues)
• Implementing Partner Recruitment
• Monitoring and Evaluating
• Curriculum Development
• Training
• Skillz Magazine (GRS’ magazine that is published quarterly in the Sunday Times and distributed to 2,300 schools throughout South Africa. Skillz features the world’s and South Africa’s top soccer stars and draws on soccer to teach life lessons and encourages young people to make a positive difference in their communities)

While in the field, I will mainly be working in Khayelitsha. Khayelitsha is South Africa’s second biggest township. Townships were formed in South Africa during the Apartheid Era on the periphery of cities. Blacks were evicted from properties that were designated as “white only” and forced to move into townships. There are estimates that 400,000-1 million people live in Khayelitsha, although there has not been a census since 2005. If I had to guess, there have to be at least 1 million people living there. I can drive through the township for 15 minutes and see nothing but tiny shacks crammed together for miles and miles off in every direction. It is truly a sad but unbelievable sight. On average, the shacks are about as small as one or two rooms put together. There is garbage everywhere and on my last visit I saw a little girl rummaging through a trashcan looking for something to eat.

Amidst the waste and poverty, everywhere I turn I see someone playing with a soccer ball. It may not be like the professional Nike balls we practice with at home, but the kids seem to play with any sort of round object they can get their hands on. Not to mention, they will play in anything and anywhere. At the soccer tournament I worked last week, I saw kids playing in flip-flops, shoes with holes, and sometimes no shoes at all. They play on small, trash-strewn, fields on the outskirts of the township next to the highway. The fields in the townships have holes in them and sometimes consist of just gravel.

As part of their plan for the 2010 World Cup, FIFA has decided to build 20 “Football for Hope Centers” throughout Africa. Its aim is to achieve positive social change through football by building these centers for public health, education, and football. The centers will consist of a building to provide public health services, office space, common space for community gatherings, and a turf field. Each center will have a “Center Host.” The centers will provide these Center Hosts with a base from which to provide their programs and increase awareness about HIV/AIDS, increase literacy, improve gender equality, and promote overall social development in other targeted ways.

FIFA chose to build the very first Football for Hope Center in Khayelitsha and selected GRS to be the host! I am so excited not only to be apart of this amazing football project, but also that the kids and community will have a safe and clean place to play soccer in addition to a supportive network where they can learn about HIV/AIDS. During the World Cup, FIFA is providing the centers with giant screens to broadcast the 64 matches. Sony has also supplied GRS with 15,000 tickets to take kids to games and, as part of my responsibility as an intern I will be forced to attend some of the games as a chaperone to the kids! ☺ With the hype of the World Cup and the Football for Hope Centers, 2010 is going to be an extremely exciting year for GRS!

The two weeks I have spent in Cape Town so far have been unbelievable. I cannot believe how much I have learned in such a short amount of time and am so excited to have a whole year left to explore and absorb the beautiful culture of South Africa. I have spent the majority of the past two weeks training for my internship and attending lectures where I learned more about GRS, our relationship with other non-profits, our goals, HIV/AIDS, World Cup plans, and the list goes on and on. Additionally, I have found time to do some pretty amazing things with my fellow interns. I climbed Table Mountain and, without much consideration, decided to run the last 1/3 of it with 3 other friends. My body was sore for about 4-5 days afterwards but to see the view of the city on top of the clouds was definitely worth it. I have also played in several pick-up games, walked the beaches of Muzenburg (gorgeous!), seen Kirstenbosch (2nd largest botantical gardens in the world) and explored the downtown area (somehow always ending up on Long Street).

Thank you again for support and I cannot wait to tell you about all my upcoming adventures! On the list of things to do: wine tasting, surfing lessons, and cage diving with the great white sharks!

Much love,

Annie

Muizenberg.

 

Kids running after me because they wanted to see my digital camera.
 

A lake 760m above sea level atop Table Mountain.  

A soccer field in Khayelitsha.

At GRS' Soccer Tournament in Khayelitsha.  

Hello!

Dear Family and Friends,

Thanks for visiting my blog site! You've now heard that I have recently been selected to serve as an Intern for Grassroot Soccer, joining their fight against the spread of HIV/AIDS in Africa. Grassroot Soccer (GRS) is an international non-profit organization that is using the power of soccer and community role models to empower African youth with the knowledge, skills and support to live HIV-free. This August, I will begin 12-13 months of service in either Zambia, Malawi, or South Africa. As an Intern, I will be involved with all aspects of the successful delivery of the GRS program – training professional soccer players and other community leaders in the GRS Curriculum; building relationships with private, non-profit, and governmental organizations; designing, monitoring, and evaluating program implementation; fulfilling key operational and administrative duties in GRS offices. I am very excited to use my love of soccer and passion for fundraising to action many youth in Africa.

Part of my responsibility as a Grassroot Soccer intern is to raise $10,000 to support my work. I was recently awarded a $2,000 grant by Emory University's Center for AIDS Research and will be conducting research on HIV/AIDS curriculum during my time in Africa as well as volunteering and working. If you could please help by donating on this page where it says "donate now" and forward this blog along to other family and friends I would greatly appreciate it! :) Also, donations of $250 are tax deductible. For your records, Grassroot Soccer's Federal Tax ID number is #43-1957920. If you have any questions please contact Angela Tucker at (802) 649-2900 or at angelat@grassrootsoccer.org.

Just for an update, I am about a 1/3 of the way there to my $10,000 goal! Please keep helping donate and passing on the word of my cause. Thank you so much again to those of you who have already donated! :)

While the HIV/AIDS epidemic is devastating and desperate, it is entirely preventable and treatable. If humankind is going to conquer this epidemic and other issues of poverty and infectious disease we must invest in our youth; children are the future and Grassroot Soccer is helping them make the difference! Please come back and visit my blog starting in August so I can share stories and photos with you of my time in Africa! Also, please feel free to visit the Grassroot Soccer homepage to learn more about the organization: http://www.grassrootsoccer.org/

Thank you so much for your love, interest and support.

Love,

Annie