Blog

Keep up with all the latest Kick4Life news here...

Jan
16
Being a Role Model, by Seff, age 20
My name is Sefakoane F. Ntsoane, A.K.A. Seff, and I am a recent coach at Kick4Life. The day that I made the decision to come to Kick4Life was the most incredible day and the best choice I have ever made in my life.

To begin with, I am a young scientist who is working slowly towards being a civil engineer, and I am certain you can imagine how hard it was for me to engage in social work initially! However, this does not mean that I had no intentions of changing other people's lives, especially young people. Making a difference was always my motive, whether socially, economically or politically.

Being a coach changed me a lot, from the outside in. I now know how to listen to other people when they express their points of view (in K4L language, it is called being an elephant). For instance, when I was in school, I was always a group leader, but an unfair one I would say, because my word was always final. I would not take a point raised after my conclusion. In contrast, working with kids made me listen to their points of view when they talked about their experiences in life.

This kind of conversation usually takes place at interventions [when we go out to deliver the Kick4Life curriculum]. In every practise in the K4L coaches play book, there is a part where participants are encouraged to share their personal, real stories; for example sharing with the group a time when they experienced someone close in an unhealthy relationship, and how they assisted that person. At this time and others I was forced to listen more and talk less. I learned that different ideas from different people can change lives.

Furthermore, working with kids gave me an opportunity to learn how a person is like from the way they talk and their actions. This skill of being aware and focussed helps me a lot with identifying people who have problems or who may need my help without asking them whether they do.

Sometimes, when I am delivering an intervention and one of my participants is not OK, I am capable of seeing that, and as a role model and coach I have to get to the bottom of the situation. One time I was facilitating at a local primary school, one of my participants was always sad or frequently did not participate when I talked about HIV and ARVs [Anti-Retro-Viral drugs]. I took the initiative of asking her privately and the answer that I got was reasonable: she said her sister had tested positive and her CD4 count is low, but the problem is that she prefers to die than to take ARVs, and she truly loved her sister.

Last but not least, I have learned to be considerate. I am very passionate about helping others in any way that I can. Moreover I have acquired certain skills of managing a large group of kids which I never knew before. I have changed as a leader because I can organise and lead a group of people better than before. In addition, I am now good at asking questions and answering people's questions logically. Working with kids is really fun and challenging; they look up to me and I have to be a real teacher, who does not only preach but also practices what he preaches.

Being a coach and role model is a life time experience and I sincerely encourage everybody to try it. They will definitely reap good results in the end.

Dec
5
Lesotho blog post from Puky, Kick4Life Coach, age 22
When I first heard about Kick4Life, I had no idea or interest in what it was about, I only wanted to travel and go places because the first time I heard about Kick4Life they told me they were going to the World Cup! I was with two friends and we were welcomed at Kick4Life, everyone who was there that day made us come every day because of their smile that was dancing at the corners of their lips.

As time went by, there was a moment when we were playing games from the K4L playbook he he he! I had no idea of what I was doing, not bearing in mind that every game has a message. Mark my words people! I only understood when we were doing the last game, and I felt like we should start the games from the beginning.

I became a peer educator, and after a short time I became a coach. What a nice time, working with different students from different backgrounds; it is challenging, but very terrific. My life then changed for the better, I then realised that for someone to change other people's lives is for her / him to start by first changing themselves.

When I speak about changing, I am speaking about myself. I was just someone who does not care for other people, all that mattered was me. I remember in the year 2009 my aunt was suffering from HIV. She trusted me so much that she opened up to me, but I never cared for her, all I was doing was not giving her the support that she needed. Crazy me, I thought I knew but I was so in denial, I did not know anything.

My aunt lost her life to AIDS and her death did not mean anything to me. At this point in my life Kick4Life came to my rescue. I was so shocked by her death, that not giving support to people living with HIV makes them feel alone and helpless, I then felt guilty and thought the guiltiness would last for the rest of my life. I thought: Oh no! There are counsellors at Kick4Life, why can't I contact them?

I then made my move, I opened up and shared my story that was eating me inside, but the counsellor just wiped my tears and totally removed the pain that was inside. I then vowed that I would support people living with HIV, and teach others to do the same.

I am motivated because I now know my strengths and my goals, and have erased the weakness and risks that challenged me. I have built relationships with people who support; supporters who help others to succeed and help others to bounce back and stay strong when facing challenges. Without Kick4Life I could not have know all this, I really thank Kick4Life with my whole heart, and in all my work here I hope to pass this strength and support on.

Nov
27
It's a Goal!
Today I turned 35. The official start of middle age. The end of youth. I was starting to feel sorry for myself, and then I heard the news about Gary Speed.

My lasting memory of Speed will always be his performance for Leeds in a 4-0 win against Southampton in the 1991/92 season. I was a young Southampton fan and despite the heavy loss I remember feeling like I'd seen a special performance, and it was no surprise that Leeds went on to win the league. Speed, along with Strachan, was phenomenal that night.

If I'm completely honest I never felt he went on to fulfill the potential that he showed in his first few seasons, when it looked like he could be a truly great player. But what he clearly did become was a model professional, with a great attitude, a commitment to keeping in top physical shape, the ability to mentor and support young players and, outside of the game, a dedicated family man.

That such a person, rich in wealth and success, popular and loved, could see suicide as the only option seems staggering. But this I suppose is the nature of depression - indiscriminate.

If anything good can come from a tragedy like this, it will be that Speed's death will help to diminish the stigma that undoubtedly still surrounds depression. In the competitive and power-fuelled world of professional sport in particular, it must be hard to seek help for an illness that it so often mistakenly associated with weakness.

But over the last few years a number of projects have emerged which show that football can also be an effective vehicle for promoting mental wellbeing. The It's a Goal! Foundation uses the game to address mental health problems among men, who are four times more likely to kill themselves than young women. By running activities at a growing number of football clubs, the Foundation engages this hard-to-reach group in a way that traditional service provision cannot do, and it also uses the game as part of it's approach to helping people overcome depression.

If you are interested check it out here: http://www.itsagoal.org.uk/

And here's some action from the Southampton v Leeds match: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qd2l7UdUc7M

Nov
9
Welcome to the new Kick4Life Lesotho blog!
By Camilla Higgins, Communications Intern at Kick4Life

The idea of these blog posts is to provide an update on activities at the centre, but also an insight into the minds and experiences of the people here who really put Kick4Life's purpose into action, working with the young people of Lesotho to encourage and support them towards healthy, productive futures. This is a unique space for the staff, coaches and volunteers in Lesotho to talk about what is important to them, and to share experiences, and for readers to delve into the reality of being a young person in Lesotho through the eyes of the people who work with them most closely.

As the new Communications Intern at Kick4Life in Lesotho, I wanted to get the ball rolling by sharing an experience I had during my first week here when I went out to see a group of coaches delivering the famous Kick4Life curriculum at a school outside Maseru. The journey there was an experience itself as I transgressed the city limits for the first time: smooth roads and familiar urban structures quickly giving way to potholed tracks and scattered, dusty roadside villages, a world away from wet and green Northern Ireland. We eventually arrived at the school where two groups of children in green uniforms were playing games with two pairs of coaches. Of course a Kick4Life intervention is much more than just games, and the coaches were using these activities as a fun way to introduce the principles of team support and healthy decision-making.

Aside from the innovative nature of the curriculum, what really inspired me was the enthusiasm of the young coaches who were delivering it. Fully embracing their status as role models in a way I cannot imagine my own group of friends having done as teenagers, these young men and women were really passionate about sharing what they had learned through Kick4Life; encouraging children to think about the impact of their decisions and support one another. Nothing like the subdued, nonchalant teenagers I remember hanging out with, these guys really cared about the message they were confidently sending out, and willingly shouldered the responsibility this entails.

I was there just to learn more about Kick4Life's programmes, but I came away with a renewed sense of confidence, boosted by that of the volunteers, in the organisation's purpose, and in my being here to work towards achieving that. The best evidence of the happiness and satisfaction this left me with is the scribbled smiley face in my notebook. It is the confidence and generous spirit of young Basotho like these that make the wheels of Kick4Life turn here in Lesotho, and that really have the potential to dent the prevalence of HIV and poverty in this unique kingdom. Although you visitors to the website may be too far away to experience an intervention first hand, as I was lucky enough to do, I hope that you get a similar buzz of joy from reading the posts on this blog as I did that day.

Welcome to Lesotho!

Nov
8
Err, excuse me Your Highness
As the taxi made its way down the winding road to Monte Carlo I had that rare and pleasant sensation of timelessness. This could have been the roaring twenties, and my cab ride the final leg towards a summer of cocktails and Jazz. But I was quickly jolted back into 2011 by the unmistakably modern bleep of a text message. It was Opodo informing me that my flight home tomorrow would be on time. This really was going to be a flying visit.

I was on my way to Monaco for the Peace & Sport Awards, a glittering event in the Sport for Development calendar. My book Eleven, was one of three nominations for the Special Jury Prize, and it seemed an appropriate location given the key message of the book - how the great wealth of sport at the highest level can be mobilised to promote development for the many millions of impoverished global fans. The tarmaced streets of the Monaco Grand Prix are certainly a far cry from the dust bowl football pitches of rural Lesotho, and the imbalanced dichotomy of the sporting whole has never seemed so stark.

As it turned out I would not win the prize, beaten to it by a United Nations comic which uses celebrities to promote peace. But I had another key objective. In the days leading up to the trip it had come to my attention that one of the leading dignitaries at the event would be King Letsie III of Lesotho. This was an interesting coincidence and a great chance to secure royal favour for Kick4Life. So my mission was simple: engage royal target in conversation about Kick4Life, invite him to our new centre and generally make a good impression.

Easier said than done.

On arrival at the Awards Dinner the King and the other royals from Monaco and Burundi were quickly and directly escorted from their vehicle to the head table. Furthermore there was now a large security presence positioned around the room, one bearing an uncanny resemblance to Kevin Costner in The Bodyguard - sharp suit, hair brushed forward, finger permanently in one ear presumably listening to some unseen observer indicating potential threats.

It crossed my mind to let the opportunity pass, but eventually, between the main course and dessert, and armed with a copy of my book and a Kick4Life brochure I walked towards the toilet. As I neared the head table I took a sharp right, went straight for King Letsie and, without having pre-planned my opening gambit, stuttered: Err, excuse me Your Highness.

Thankfully, having previously met Pete in 2006, the King was well aware of Kick4Life and he was complimentary about our efforts in Lesotho, adding that he was very much looking forward to visiting the new centre. After chatting for a few minutes he enthusiastically accepted the materials I proffered and warmly shook my hand before I retreated to table 9.

Lesotho has a rich royal heritage dating back to the courageous and brilliant King Moshoeshoe who forged the nation in the 1800s, and having been received so kindly and humbly by the current King it is easy to see why the monarchy is still so highly revered by the Basotho people. As the night bus passed the yacht-filled harbour and the flashing lights of the casinos back to the hotel, I reflected on the Mountain Kingdom, thousands of miles to the south. It really is an honour to serve both King and country.

Oct
4
And it's no sacrifice (at least not on the new pitch please)
It's hard to select something to focus on from my incredibly eventful last two weeks in Lesotho.

I could opt for the continuing trials and tribulations of a nearly middle-aged man playing football in Africa which resulted in a broken elbow and cracked ribs, or perhaps the landmark opening of the new centre attended by Lucas Radebe and hundreds of friends from Lesotho and internationally. There was also the tour experience itself with a brilliant group of people, the hundreds of children reached with health education, singing and dancing, games around the camp-fire and the always moving visit to a local orphanage.

Instead I find myself drawn to a couple of events which seem to epitomize the contrasts between my existence here in the UK and the traditional way of life in Africa.

The first occurred after our opening match against a group of teachers at a local school. Hundreds of children turned up to watch am impressive 5-1 win for the All Stars, but is was after the final whistle that things really got exciting. John Farnworth, freestyle champion and Kick4Life Ambassador, began to perform at the side of the pitch. It resulted in unbridled pandemonium, and John's mesmeric talents prompted a number of students to question whether he was using witchcraft. To us this seemed ridiculous, but to the children, who had never seen anything like it, it was a natural assumption. Thankfully, another ball was found, and John was able to convince the crowd that he had not in fact bewitched the football.

The second event occurred during the opening of the new Football for Hope centre. A busy programme was lined up including a number of cultural performances, football matches, speeches, a ribbon cutting and the release of 13 helium balloons symbolising the 1300 children Kick4Life will reach at the centre each year. But for a couple of Kick4Life coaches one key ingredient was missing: the public sacrifice of two chickens on the pitch as a thank you to the Gods.

When we realised what was planned, marked by the arrival of two plump white birds in a cardboard box, we quickly persuaded the coaches to escort their feathered friends off the premises. We had managed to avert a PR disaster and a live streaming of slaughter to a global audience via the Internet. Of course we were never going to let this happen, but perhaps we should not be so horrified by local customs and traditions. To those involved this was an important way to mark a hugely significant development in their country and in their lives.

These two incidents showed me how easily we can dismiss things we don't understand, and how we can become rigidly boxed in our own cultural frame. Going to Lesotho always takes me a little out of my comfort zone, and you know what? I love it. Why not join me next year.

Sep
4
Changing Lives through Football - a new blog by Kick4Life's Steve Fleming
Changing Lives Through Football

When a 33 year-old unfit Englishman plays full-back against a team of strapping young Africans under a tropical sun you can be sure of two things - he will suffer, and he will scythe. Trust me, l've been there. The trouble is I'm now 34 and later this month I'm heading out to Lesotho once again for more punishment. Over the last few months my much considered fitness plan has been delayed with every conceivable excuse, until today, with the impending vision of a barefooted Basotho charging down the wing at Bolt-like.pace, stirring me into a futile four mile jog through the Cambridgeshire countryside.

But while I maintain plans to halt my alarming descent into middle-aged portliness and recapture the fitness of my youth, or at least a semblance of it, the upcoming tour of Lesotho is about far more than just playing the game.

Back in 2005 my brother Pete and I founded a charity called Kick4Life which uses the popularity of football as a tool to deliver a programme of health education, life-skills development, HIV testing and mentoring for orphans and vulnerable children. The project is based in the beautiful and little-known country of Lesotho, and six years on Kick4Life has worked with more than 40,000 boys and girls, has a staff team of 17 and has even managed to bag a few awards. Along the way we've also come into contact with many other projects around the world using football as a tool for social development.

My trip in a few weeks time is the fourth Kick4Life All Stars Tour - a two-week opportunity for fundraisers to play football in Africa and be trained to deliver some of our health education and life-skills activities to young people. It is a great experience and since the first tour in 2007 more than 60 people, men and women ranging from 19-71 have taken part, raising vital funds and reaching thousands of children with life-saving messages - an example of voluntourism that really does leave a lasting positive legacy for everyone involved.

But this upcoming tour is extra special because it coincides with the opening of the Lesotho Football for Hope Centre. The main legacy scheme of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa is called 20 Centres for 2010, and involves building twenty sport, health and education facilities across Africa. Kick4Life was chosen by FIFA and streetfootballworld to host the centre in Lesotho, providing a fantastic venue for us to run programmes for vulnerable children for many years to come. On the 24th September 2011 an opening ceremony will take place and we are thrilled that so many friends and colleagues from around the world can join us.

The last six years have involved meeting some wonderful people, moments of great hilarity, astonishing incidents, ups and downs, a trip to the circus with the third in line to the throne and even a chicken offered in exchange for a tatty old football. This blog is an opportunity to share with you the ongoing journey of Kick4Life and my experiences in the wider world of Development through Football. I'll aim to blog about once a month, nothing too long. Hope you'll be back in October.

Apr
5
Fantastic Football Memorabilia for Auction
Some fantastic prizes have been donated to Kick4Life and we are now auctioning them to raise funds for our work in Lesotho.

The items include a Man Utd treble winning football and a stunning signed Gareth Bale display.

Bidding closes at 11pm GMT on April 14th. Bids will be taken both online and at the Quiz 4 Life night at The White Hart Pub, 1 Mile End Road, London. The quiz starts at 9pm on the 14th.

To bid on any item, or to donate further items to the auction, please email steve@kick4life.org or Steve on call 07710 999 169

All items come with a Certificate of Authenticity.

You can check out all the items here www.kick4life.org/auction.php

Massive thanks to Preeti Shetty for organizing this auction!

Mar
1
Latest news from Lesotho
As the centre construction continues apace, the Kick4Life team in Lesotho is working hard to ensure our day-to-day delivery continues to effectively reach many young people. There are lots of exciting and innovative developments on the go, and these efforts have been boosted by the recent appointment of Daniela Gusman as Country Director. Here is a snapshot from the first two months of 2011:

- A new project called "Women's Ambitions for a Better Future" has been launched for vulnerable young women helping teenage mothers and orphaned and vulnerable girls living on the streets.

- The Care & Support Programme for orphans and vulnerable children continues to develop and improve. 4 street kids have been re-integrated with their families and placed back in school.

- We have launched a Recycling Programme for the Street Kids - first recycling initiative in Lesotho where street kids will be able to generate their own income which will be used for schooling, food and shelter.

- We have also just launched a Kick4Life HIV Help Textline thanks to Vodacom Lesotho with weekly HIV awareness messages going out to the mountain kingdom. The response has been phenomenal with over 40,000 responses so far and the Information Communication Technology Campaign only started at the end of January and will run till the end of the year.

- 40 new volunteer coaches have been trained in Maseru & Leribe to continue with the roll-out of the K4L Curriculum (health education and life-skills) to youths in new communities.
Check back soon for more news...

Feb
18
Welcome to the new Kick4Life website
Welcome to the new Kick4Life website, and massive thanks to our online partners footytube.com who have invested their time and expertise in producing and hosting this fantastic new website free of charge. We hope you enjoy browsing the site and some of the exciting things we have going on right now - a few highlights...

On April 17 leading football freestyler John Farnworth is attempting to complete the London Marathon to raise funds for Kick4Life.

The construction of the Lesotho Football for Hope Centre is well underway with the date of the opening event to be announced soon.

Join our new supporter club Kick4Life FC. For just £10 or more a month you can use your love of football to help Kick4Life change more lives. You are also entered into our annual prize draw, receive a Kick4Life t-shirt and get regular updates about how your support is making a difference. Please join us.

That's all for now. Check back soon for more updates.

Sep
21

Kick4Life wins Beyond Sport Award

Kick4Life was awarded the prestigious Sport for Health Award at the second Beyond Sport Summit in Chicago in September 2010. Up against some tough competition, Kick4Life won for its range of programmes focused on orphans and vulnerable children in Lesotho, including health education and prevention, HIV testing, treatment and stigma reduction. Pete Fleming, K4L cofounder, who collected the award from Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, one of the world's most successful Paralympian's, said: "This is wonderful recognition for our team who have worked hard over the last four years to make a tangible difference in Lesotho. I would like to thank all of our supporters, fundraisers and volunteers who have played a key role in helping Kick4Life gain this award." As a winner Kick4Life will receive a minimum donation of $15,000 funding and a package of substantial business support. Pete added: "We look forward to using this award as a springboard to further developing the organisation, enhancing our delivery and reaching more young people." For information on all the winners visit: http://www.beyondsport.org/mediacentre/press-release/view/1346

Jul
15
Prince Harry plays for K4L in HIV awareness football match
Prince Harry plays an activity from the K4L Curriculum with youth from Butha-Buthe
Prince Harry in action for Kick4Life

Prince Harry recently joined volunteers from Kick4Life and Sentebale in an HIV awareness football match against his army regiment from the Household Cavalry, Burnaby Blue.

The match was the concluding part of an HIV awareness day that launched K4L's programmes in the Butha-Buthe district of Lesotho.Over 500 youth attended the event that included interactive HIV education activities from the K4L Curriculum, HIV testing and football matches.

The match between Kick4Life and Burnaby Blue was a tightly contested battle. Despite conceding early on Kick4Life went into half-time 3-1 up. However, two goals in two minutes at the start of the second half brought Burnaby Blue level. Despite further chances at both ends no more goals were scored with the match ending in an honourable 3-3 draw.

Kick4Life and Prince Harry's charity Sentebale have formed a strategic alliance in Lesotho. The support from Sentebale is focussed on assisting K4L's work with orphans and vulnerable children and HIV positive youth. In particular this support is centred on the K4L Sports Scholarship Scheme.

May
14
Two youth from the Kick 4 Life programme meet Beckham and the England team

Two boys from Kick 4 Life's programme in Lesotho had the trip of a lifetime when they were flown more than six thousand miles to meet some of the biggest names in world football to raise awareness of HIV.

Just two months before, 14 year-old Tsehla Rachere had tested negative for HIV during a Kick 4 Life Test Your Team event in Maseru. Over 350 other children were tested that day, with those who were found to be positive subsequently referred to life-saving anti-retroviral treatment. Tsehla's test had taken place in unique circumstances, in the presence of England manager Fabio Capello during an English FA visit to the African country. It was an experience that led an emotional Capello to champion the role of football as a tool for social good, and which saw Tsehla presented with an incredible opportunity.

Funded by the Sun newspaper, Tsehla and his friend Keketso Maanela, 15, who is HIV positive, were flown to London where they attended an England training session, meeting the likes of David Beckham, Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard. Keketso said: "I discovered I was HIV positive in 2005. I was put on life-saving drug treatment and now I feel great and normal again. It's not nice to hear you are HIV positive, but as time goes by you have to accept it."

Keketso is part of the Mamohato Network for HIV positive children- an initiative set up by Prince Seesio and Prince Harry's charity Sentebale that aims to empower children with the communication and life skills that help them to deal with and live with their HIV status. The network was set up to provide much needed education about living with HIV for children in Lesotho and to offer them a safe, loving and respectful environment. Kick 4 Life deliver their life skills curriculum to youth throughout the network.

During the meet up at England's training ground David Beckham said: "read about Mr Capello watching the young boy having an HIV test and it was very moving. It's very important to break down the stigma around HIV."

Pete Fleming, K4L Director, said: "This was a fantastic opportunity for the boys to meet some of their heroes. The England team are huge stars in Africa and having them meet the boys is important in breaking down the prejudice surrounding HIV. It has also to further promote the positive changes that can be achieved through the power of football."

Apr
5
England Head Coach Fabio Capello visits Kick 4 Life in Maseru

On April 16th, 2008 England Head Coach Fabio Capello attended an event staged by Kick 4 Life (K4L) in Maseru.

Along with former England goalkeeper Ray Clemence, Capello attended the next stage of K4L's award winning Test Your Team campaign. The initiative links football tournaments for youth with on-site HIV education and testing between matches. At the event more than 500 youth took part in K4L's HIV educational activities, which teach youth about HIV transmission, pathology, stigma and testing in an interactive and engaging way.

Throughout the day the football and HIV educational activities successfully created an atmosphere of positive peer pressure, encouraging the youth to test en masse. Nearly 300 people were tested for HIV at the event. Those who tested positive were immediately referred to the Baylor Paediatric Clinic for further evaluation, care and treatment.

Pete Fleming, co-founder of Kick 4 Life said "The campaign links the universal power of football with HIV testing and education. In Lesotho there is a huge stigma attached to getting tested and the disease in general. Knowing your HIV status in this country is not only a springboard for staying negative but it is also a gateway for accessing free anti-retroviral services".

In Lesotho, less than 10% of males and only 11% of females actually know their HIV status and the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare estimates that close to 18,000 children are HIV positive. Currently there are fewer than 2,000 HIV positive children enrolled in anti-retroviral treatment and strong efforts are being made to reach a target of 3,500 children by the end of 2008.

Fabio Capello toured the site, observed two of the interactive HIV educational activities and gave coaching tips to one of the teams who had qualified for the final of the football tournament. The England Head Coach also observed an HIV test conducted by Population Services International (PSI), a moment he would later describe as one of the most moving experiences of his life.

Capello said: "What Kick 4 Life are doing here is fantastic and we need to encourage and support this type of programmeÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã‚Â¦.I suppose you could say this was a very good experience for our soul because it makes you understand the hardships in the worldÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã‚Â¦.I feel enriched because I have seen things that make me think and whenever you think, you get richer."

The event was staged in partnership with the Lesotho Football Association, the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Baylor Paediatric Clinic and PSI.