Nike and GRS have joined forces to fight HIV in South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Malawi. This partnership will enable GRS to reach more than 10,000 youth between 2009 and 2011 and train hundreds of coaches to deliver the GRS program for years to come.
“We are thrilled about this partnership,” says GRS Managing Director Kirk Friedrich. “Nike is greatly enabling our organization to have greater impact by leveraging their relationships, brand and expertise.”
At the core of the Nike brand is passion for sport and the role it can play in life. It¹s a belief that sport plays a critical role as a source of empowerment to help people reach their full potential.
In particular, Nike sees sport as a means of challenging racism, resolving conflict, building leadership and teamwork and enhancing life skills for youth. Used positively, sport becomes a powerful tool for youth inclusion, helping them fully participate in the social and economic opportunities in their communities.
Nowhere is sport intervention more clearly needed than in the fight against HIV and AIDS in Southern Africa, which is why Nike and Grassroot Soccer have joined forces to use the power of soccer to help prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS.
Nike¹s partnership with GRS will support sports-based HIV prevention programs in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi. Through the lens of soccer, GRS designs lessons and activities which reach thousands of young people and help them develop the knowledge and skills to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS. Nike understands that leveraging the impact of sport to help young people make better life decisions can drive powerful change.