YAWE’s Grass Roots Soccer Launch

In the last couple of weeks, Andre and other members of YAWE Foundation started
meeting the students at Kahinju Primary School for sessions of Grass Roots Soccer (GRS). The
GRS curriculum is designed for community or school settings targeting kids through the ages of
10-19. During this thirteen week program the students will learn about building healthy
relationships, goal settings, standing up to peer pressure, and positive body images. Each
session lasts for fifty minutes and the kids play games that relate to the topic. At the end of the
program, the kids will participate in a graduation ceremony and will be awarded a certificate of
completion.

This is the first known cohort of GRS students trained in the Fort Portal area. As we
continue the program, we hope to expand to other schools in the City. However, we want to
have a good understanding of how to make the sessions as productive and fun as possible
before replicating them to other groups. This program will continue up until the beginning of
August. We recognize the help of staff at Kahinju Primary School and thank them for welcoming
our program into their school.
The two photos show some of the activities in which the kids participate. In one photo
they are signing the Peace Corps Skillz Contract. During this activity, the kids make the choice
to join the GRS team and agree to Participate, Respect, and Lead. They all come and sign the
piece of paper. In the other photo with the kids joining hands, they are playing a game that
depicts the effects of risky behavior on the community.