Using the power of soccer to fight HIV/AIDS

To celebrate World Aids day VAP organized its annual 6th Kick N' Test VCT and TB screening tournament on December 1st 2014. A group of forty teams a mixture of young boys and girls from all the walks of Nairobi had their footmarks leading to Jericho community field in readiness to have fun, create peace as they battle HIV and TB.The flavor of the tournament was that teams were not only getting points for winning or drawing matches, but also for participating in the Skillz Kenya activities as well as visiting VCT tents for HIV testing,TB screening and other services that actually added them an extra bonus point to their respective teams. Fans and community members too were not spared as they too had an opportunity to access VCT services and donate their extra bonus points to teams of their choice..

Playing Off The Field

A total of 400 participants had an opportunity to access VCT services from Edarp VAP’s VCT service providers who had pitched tents besides the playing field. Participants had to scramble and line up for VCT services as these extra points were very crucial and important to their teams in terms of boosting their overall points. Being on a world’s Aids day, there was a shortage of testing kits all over the country and this affected the testing targets of VAP. During this tournament that also included a mixture of boys and girls in one particular team, football3 methodogy was also incorporated whereby boys and girls in each team had equal time to discuss before and after the match, and learnt how to solve issues themselves and build consensus, the approach has proven particularly useful to VAP in achieving its core aim of transmitting and reinforcing important messages on health issues such as HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis. With health as the starting point, VAP uses its football3 sessions to address other topics such as gender equality, social inclusion, peace building and youth leadership.

Sustainable funding remains a key concern to many charity organizations around the world. This is amplified by dwindling funds from traditional donor sources who support projects for a limited period of time. In most instances, the organizations and communities are left stranded after completion of projects. Further Resource Mobilization strategies have in the recent years changed significantly. This therefore begs the question, with the emerging funding trends, how can non- profit organizations adopt sustainable funding? VAP represented by Business Development and I GA team was amongst the invited organizations in Kenya who were invited by The Knod Foundation and standard chartered to think together, share and sort ideas on how to tackle this. The Knod foundation in collaboration with Standard chartered organized a workshop at Serena Hotel, Nairobi and brought on board seasoned, experienced and respected personalities in the field of Resource mobilization and organizational sustainability who shared great ideas and strategies that would orchestrate charity organizations address financial sustainability within themselves.

Holiday Programs

With the Kenyan schools holiday season crowding the month of August and youth taking a commercial break from their busy academic season and avoiding being’jack’whom too much of work without play makes him a dull boy, VAP shifted its program gears to the community centres around Nairobi, providing youth with an opportunity to play as well as learning through its fun based activities.A total of 6 communities were reached out with various life changing messages.

VAP Spurs Up Varsity games with GBV Activities

VAP team was amongst the organizations invited by the catholic university of East Africa to perform in their annual corporate social responsibility event organized on 23rd of August that also included: World Youth Alliance, SEMA, catholic university of East Africa and Strathmore University. Each team of 10 players with 40 percent ladies representation converged at the catholic university grounds ready to engage themselves into: sensitization of millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the post 2015 development agenda by addressing the global inequality and promoting the relationship between the common people and the institutions.VAP with its vast football for development expertise, led other teams in performing gender based violence football based activities. Participants had a chance to discuss gender issues that affect the youth of both genders in the modern world as well as sharing their own life experiences regarding GBV.