Hope Kicks HIV in the Ballons

For one glorious week in the middle of July, nine PCVs and more than twenty Burkinabé counterparts kicked HIV/AIDS in the rear end. The thirty of us were involved in a joint Training of Trainers put on by the Peace Corps and a British NGO called Coaching for Hope. Though PCVs were probably tempted to tell you that the main goal of the TOT was to put participants through soccer Boot Camp, we were actually aiming to increase awareness of HIV/AIDS and sexual health in rural communities using football (soccer to us Yanks) as a sort of universal communication. Check out the pictures from the week!

The workshop days were divided into two parts. In the mornings we focused on improving our football and coaching skills. We did fun warm-ups, ball control exercises and drills. This is where Boot Camp seemed to play a role. It got easier as the week went on though, and by the middle of the training, most of us were hobbling with only a slight limp from muscle fatigue. We also talked about how to structure a football practice, communicate effectively, and coach with limited resources (a condition in which most us have earned our PhDs). Since the leaders of the workshop were Burkinabé that had been trained to UK professional standards, our counterparts (all coaches themselves) greatly appreciated the tips.

After a luxurious lunch and restful repos (That’s right, folks! We got 150 minutes for repos! …and this is the second Blog in a row I’ve talked about afternoon naps. Priorities?), we came back for the HIV/AIDS portion of the training. Coaching for Hope has developed a series of eight HIV/AIDS workshops, each aimed at a different aspect of prevention: myths and realities; transmission; protection, etc. Each of the workshops is divided into a discussion session done under the trees or in a classroom, and an on-the-field session. The field work put to direct use the knowledge gained during the discussion times with fun football activities. For example, on the day we learned about transmission, we did a neat passing activity where bad passes represented a risky sexual encounter; too many bad passes lost the game for your team, so control that ball! The coaches are now responsible for going back to their youth teams and delivering these eight workshops; PCVs are responsible for helping CFH with follow through and making sure coaches get questions answered if problems arise.

All in all, everyone agreed that the week was a huge success. The Burkinabé coaches are eager to put on the workshops with their teams around the country, and everyone is excited to be able to reach so many youth in one swoop. And by doing something they love.