Online Reporter
Lovemore Dube, [email protected]
A THREE-DAY football camp held in Bulawayo that combined sporting development with life skills training has been hailed for providing young people with a safe and productive environment during the school holidays.
The Soccer4Life programme, founded by Bulawayo-born Zenzo Ndlovu and with a footprint in the United States of America and South Africa, attracted about 250 boys and girls. It was held at Gifford High School from last Monday to Wednesday.
While football drills and skills development formed the main part of the camp, participants also received lessons aimed at building confidence, discipline, self-esteem and positive values.
The programme was conducted by Ndlovu, Soccer4Life country programme officer Sibuyile Sibanda and a team of junior development coaches.
Bulawayo City Council corporate communications manager, Nesisa Mpofu attended the camp and commended the organisers for complementing the local authority’s efforts to keep young people engaged in constructive activities.
Mpofu said the programme was particularly important in addressing social challenges affecting young people, including drug and substance abuse and early pregnancies.
“We are here at Gifford High School where there is an on-going football clinic for teenagers, both boys and girls from primary school age and secondary schools. I think for us as a City we look at this programme as part of our gender inclusivity as you know we have Youth Centres which are vibrant,” said Mpofu.
She said the involvement of other organisations in youth development was important, particularly during school holidays when children had more free time.
“It is key that we now have other stakeholders like the organisers of this camp that come on board.
It is also to ensure that during the holidays children are kept in a safe place, where they are being assisted with skills, football skills as well as life skills,” she said.
Mpofu said Soccer4Life’s holistic approach could help young people develop confidence and make responsible choices.
“What’s key is that we are now rebuilding a culture that is not only skilled in football. We also putting in values such as discipline, building up esteems and also focusing on the one who created them. For us as a City we believe that such programmes go a long way in addressing issues such as drug abuse.
“We know that there is drug abuse that rampant cases that have come to the City concerning young boys and girls who are into drugs. We are concerned about young girls who are getting pregnant.
“Girls as young as 10 years old are starting to have children. Such programmes ensure that our youth are spending time in a productive manner, safe environment and they are equipped to say no to some of these challenges such as abuse of drugs, early childhood pregnancies as well as self-respecting themselves as younger persons,” said Mpofu.
The programme also promoted gender inclusivity, with girls participating alongside boys and children drawn from both the eastern and western suburbs of Bulawayo.
Ndlovu said he was encouraged by the turnout and the commitment shown by participants throughout the camp.
“We started on Monday. The theme for this year is ‘Overcoming low self-esteem and finding my identity in Jesus Christ,’ basically we are trying to boost the confidence of the kids using football and sharing the scriptures and knowing that their identity is only true when they accept Jesus Christ,” said Ndlovu.
He said Soccer4Life intended to broaden its life skills component by bringing in specialists to address issues affecting young people.
Ndlovu said future programmes would include sessions on sexual health, HIV and Aids, drug and substance abuse and other issues, alongside football development.
The initiative seeks to use sport as a platform for developing well-rounded young people who can make a positive contribution to their communities.
