Grassroot Soccer (GRS) South Africa has been awarded a generous grant of just under $1 Million (estimated R6,391,539.00) by USAID South Africa to further our mission to educate, inspire, and mobilize communities worldwide to stop the spread of HIV.
USAID Southern Africa, dedicated to improving the livelihood, health, and freedom of people in South Africa and across the region, will fund GRS initiatives for a one year period beginning in March 2012. These funds will largely go towards the implementation of the GRS Skillz Health Initiative, which uses soccer-based interventions to strengthen sustainable combination HIV prevention programs in at-risk South African communities. This Skillz Health Initiative will focus on preventing new HIV infections in South African youth aged 10-19 years.
With the support of USAID/Southern Africa, GRS will be able to reach thousands of youth in South Africa with vital HIV prevention education.
“Grassroot Soccer is extremely grateful to USAID South Africa for awarding us this grant. With this funding we are able to continue our programs with South African youth and also align with the vision of USAID in the delivery of effective and sustainable combination HIV prevention programs to at-risk youth,” says Feryal Domingo, Managing Director at Grassroot Soccer.
In the last three years, GRS has worked in seven of South Africa’s nine provinces, across a total of seventeen main and satellite sites, providing youth with platforms for engagement around important issues relating to HIV/AIDS.
“Through this grant we hope to strengthen ties between Grassroot Soccer, USAID, the South African Government and other partner organizations and continue the work we do in the areas of health, economic growth and democracy,” says Jeff Borns, Mission Director at USAID/Southern Africa.
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About Grassroot Soccer
GRS is a non-profit organization founded in 2002 that uses the power of soccer to educate, inspire, and empower communities to stop the spread of HIV. Grassroot Soccer envisions a world mobilized through soccer to create an AIDS-free generation. GRS has programs in 10 African countries with flagship sites in South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Founded by four professional soccer players, Grassroot Soccer is mobilizing the most vulnerable population of youth ages 12 – 19 to break the cycle of AIDS by engaging local coaches who equip young people with the knowledge, skills and support they need to avoid HIV. For more information visit grassrootsoccer.org
About USAID
USAID has been the principal U.S. agency to extend assistance to countries recovering from disaster, trying to escape poverty, and engaging in democratic reforms.
USAID is an independent federal government agency that receives overall foreign policy guidance from the Secretary of State and is headed by an Administrator and Deputy Administrator, both appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. USAID’s work supports long-term and equitable economic growth and advances U.S. foreign policy objectives by supporting economic growth, global health, social reform, democracy, conflict prevention and humanitarian assistance.
USAID/Southern Africa is dedicated to improving the livelihood, health, and freedoms of people in South Africa and across the region. USAID’s programs in South Africa focus on assisting the country in completing the transformation from its apartheid past into an economically vibrant, fully inclusive democracy. To assist the South African Government in building capacity to address critical issues, USAID/Southern Africa works in the areas of health, economic growth, democracy, and trilateral assistance.
For more information on USAID South Africa visit http://sa.usaid.gov/south_africa/home