Grassroot Soccer
Grassroot Soccer (GRS) uses the power and popularity of soccer in the fight against AIDS in Africa, implementing an activities-based, adolescent-targeted HIV prevention program led by Africa's most influential role models: professional soccer players.
An NGO founded in 2002, GRS has graduated over 50,000 youth from its sports-based prevention programs in eight African countries.
Independently evaluated by Stanford University’s Children's Health Council, the GRS program significantly improves adolescents HIV-related knowledge, attitudes, and intended behaviors. The report concluded, "Overall, the Grassroot Soccer Program is a culturally appropriate, internationally suitable, creative and effective way to educate at-risk youth about HIV/AIDS and its prevention."
Scaling up around Africa, partnering with governments, and sharing its powerful curriculum with established NGOs, GRS aims to graduate over one million adolescents by World Cup 2010.
Grassrooot Soccer’s Kick AIDS Campaign mobilizes thousands of college and high school students in the fight against AIDS through charity soccer tournaments around North America. The campaign expects to engage 20,000 students over the next three years.
Lusaka Sunrise
A great intro to the work of Grassroot Soccer courtesy of Smooth Feather Productions.
