28 April 2011
Rehoboth — The annual NawaSport Street Soccer Tournament series officially kicked off at Rehoboth recently, under the motto “Play Fair, Play Safe”.
NawaLife Trust hosted this event on an open piece of land in the vibrant Block E as part of its efforts to increase the involvement of especially men in HIV prevention. What better way than through the beautiful game of football.
Despite sporadic nature interventions, the rain did not deter proceedings and several of the footballers tilled the muddy lands early Saturday morning to make way for a functional soccer pitch.
The day featured an integrated programme with 24 male and six female teams participating in the one-day tourney including activities aimed at engaging community members in issues relating to partner reduction, reducing the tolerance of alcohol misuse in communities, correct and consistent condom use and voluntary counselling and testing.
Several other partners in HIV prevention were on hand to showcase their services. through NASOMA, community members learnt about correct and consistent condom use; Standard Bank coupled the reduction of alcohol misuse with the ability to save more money; while New Start Rehoboth provided mobile testing which allowed 57 community members – 26 females and 31 males – to go for HIV testing.
In his opening remarks, Councillor Edward Wambo encouraged participants to refrain from excessive alcohol use and focus on the game at hand.
The enthusiastic participation of players and community members testified to the community’s willingness to take part in sober events, provided that such opportunities are awarded to these underserved communities.
As at any fun event, prizes were on offer. One particular winner, Anna Mogotsi, was happy that she participated in the event as she was randomly selected to win the much coveted and crowd-pulling Food Hamper, worth N$500.
Also participating in the event was previous NawaSport programme graduate, Clement Bock, who testified that this programme has enabled him to lead his community with confidence and actively participate in youth programmes through the Rehoboth Youth as well as a the Young Adult Ministry.
Former Brave Warriors icons and NawaSport ambassadors Congo Hindjou and Lolo Goraseb kept a close eye on the proceedings.
Meanwhile, NawaLife Trust thanked all partners involved in the successful and memorable day, notably community members that availed themselves to be part of the combined, national HIV response. NawaLife Trust is funded by PEPFAR through USAID.
AllAfrica – All the Time
Continued here:
Namibia: Play Fair, Play Safe