Kicking Things into Gear with Grassroots Soccer

30.04.2017

For our April blog post, let us take a step into Lifuwu Village, a small fishing village on the shores of beautiful Lake Malawi.  Among the many programs that help2kids implements inside of Lifuwu, our Grassroots Soccer Program is one of the most engaging when it comes to youth interaction and development.  Occurring several times per week in the evenings when school is finished, help2kids volunteers trek across the Village to Lifuwu Primary School grounds to meet up with youth who are interested in the program. 

The greatest thing about Grassroots Soccer is that we do not simply play games with the children and teenagers who attend, we also conduct lessons on health topics such as healthy living, clean water practices, HIV and AIDS education, and much more!  The balance of learning and play ensures a fun environment where the adolescents feel comfortable discussing these topics that can sometimes be difficult to discuss.  Blow you can see pictured a few of our volunteers discussing water and sanitation with a group, helping them to identify safe sources of drinking water, and pointing out the dangers of using contaminated water sources.

The program is supported by a team of local Malawian staff who help to mobilize the children and ensure that we have a healthy attendance week to week.  help2kids volunteers who are interested in both soccer and public health will enjoy leading these lessons and sharing games and knowledge with their younger Malawian peers.  Our future goals for this project include a female specific program focusing on netball (a very popular sport for women here in Malawi) and continuously expanding the inclusion of HIV and AIDS education for the adolescents.

This program is perfect for any of perspective volunteers who are interested in a particularly active service here in Malawi.  We also host games on the beach daily directly on the beach outside of the Friendly Gecko Guesthouse, where you will be staying. Come join us, what are you waiting for!? Check out out programs and apply to be a volunteer at help2kids.org!