23rd June, 2010
Limpopo Orphans and Vulnerable Children’s programme engages youth in health and wellness dialogue
The One Goal for Africa partnership between AMREF, the Italian Football Federation (GIFC) and UNICEF advanced a step further through the launch of a youth-driven health and wellness dialogue.
In a bid to centralise youth voices in dialogue, debate and decision-making around issues of health and wellbeing, AMREF launched the first in a series of youth dialogues as part of the global One Goal for Education campaign launched for the 2010 World Cup. Current world champions, the Azzurri (Italian football team), are raising money to support AMREF’s and UNICEF’s work in Africa through the Italian ONE GOAL for Africa campaign.
On Sunday, June 20, the GIFC and AMREF treated over 90 children and young people from AMREF’s project for orphans and vulnerable children in Itsoseng, Limpopo and their caregivers to a first-hand experience of the World Cup during the Italy vs. New Zealand match at Bombela Stadium in Nelspruit. During the three-hour road trip from Limpopo to the Bombela stadium, caregivers held mini-dialogue sessions with the young people.
“This is a special day for the children and the people who care for them on a daily basis. Apart from good memories and watching the match, such experiences make them feel like valuable members of the community. Through AMREF’s programme of mentoring and counselling, we strive to build strong and confident individuals using holistic health education programmes. The dialogue which began today marks a milestone for progress,” said Ntombi Mabindisa, AMREF’s coordinator for the Itsoseng Project.
The young people participating in the One Goal dialogue sessions explored three key discussion questions under the umbrella topic: “How can adults help you to create the best space for your health and wellbeing?’’
The three key questions were:
- What is a healthy life for a young person?
- Are you living a full and healthy life now? If yes, what makes it so? If not, what do you need to live a full and healthy life?
- What would you like to say to adults and other people who make decisions in your life about your health and wellbeing?
“We believe it is important to work with the young people participating in our interventions in order to understand thinking and beliefs around health issues and wellbeing. At AMREF, we aim to create a two-way system of communication where young people can tell us what they are thinking. As custodians of health knowledge and expertise, we have seen that the input from the communities we are working with, in this case young people, enables the co-creation of efficient, sustainable and valuable health interventions,” said Penina Ochola, AMREF in SA Country Director.
“AMREF’s work is about ensuring better health for all. We make it tangible through programmes such as the OVC programme ‘'Abantwana Bethu' and look forward to strengthening the relationship with the Italian Football Federation. Through the dialogue programme and other complementary interventions, we are confident that the funds raised in Italy for the One Goal initiative will catalyse sustainable change for the programmes we run in South Africa,” she continued.
Inputs from the first dialogue session will be further explored during the AMREF school holiday programme at the Itsoseng Community Centre in Limpopo. Over the next two weeks, findings will be compiled by the AMREF team and added to the outcomes of the ‘One Goal for Africa’ conference held at Casa Azzurri, Centurion on June 17, which brought together key government, corporate and non-governmental actors in the development of youth and health through sport. The events are part of a series of activities organised by AMREF in collaboration with the Italian Football Federation and UNICEF, as a platform to explore links between sports and health and the role of sports in development against the backdrop of the first ever FIFA World Cup in Africa. The next stages of the dialogue programme will be announced shortly.
AMREF runs health projects in Limpopo, Kwa-Zulu Natal and the Eastern Cape provinces in South Africa. AMREF advocates community-based development approaches, which place communities at the centre of all interventions. In this way, communities cease to be passive beneficiaries of desired change and instead become the drivers of change.
For further information, contact: Dijon Hilzinger-Maas Bob Kioko |
