Using the power of soccer to fight HIV/AIDS

The one week schools short break provided an ample opportunity to implement ‘Make The Cut’ activities which is a supplement of the weekly Skillz Kenya, HIV awareness education in schools. Targeting adolescent boys with an aim of promoting voluntary medical male circumcision, the activities were conducted in different community areas including the outskirts of Nairobi with hundreds of adolescent boys being referred to various clinics for circumcision services. “I didn’t know that going for VMMC services reduces the chances of getting HIV, now that I know I will go for the services at my nearest clinic.” Said 19 old Juma.

New Partnership with Kenya Community Development Foundation

As a new partner to Kenya Community Development Foundation (KCDF) in implementing livelihood program, VAP formed part of the team that was invited to Beacon of Hope for a series of trainings, peer learning and experience sharing. Through KCDF’s livelihood grant, the main aim is to be more deliberate in strengthening all partner organizations’ resource mobilization, communication, marketing and branding among other things. A visit to Beacon of Hope was of great exposure to share and learn about their great success in implementing social enterprise models alongside their other initiatives, using their own resources to fund some of their own activities hence ensuring sustainability.VAP integrates graduates of its lifeskills and social programs into economic empowerment courses hence enabling the participants to be economically independent.

No sooner had the year started than VAP staff including master coaches and heads of different departments had a 3 days workshop plan for 2019.The meeting provided an opportunity to look at the mirror and reflect on the past programs, successes and the challenges accompanied with some S.W.O.T analysis that had to cut across every section of the programs and the organization. With 2019 programs on VAP’s face, the team had to strategize, including making some adjustments and realignments in readiness for the effective deliverance of programs and what is expected out of them by the communities that they serve.

GlobalGiving Honors VAP

Stepping into the doorsteps of the New Year and bumping into some honors is what VAP found itself into. In celebration of VAP’s 2018 commitment of reaching and working with young people through innovative football based programs, GlobalGiving honored VAP with several badges including: Top Ranked Organization 2019 and Effective organization 2019.The ‘Effective’ badge has been as a result of the programs evolvement and innovativeness through globalgiving’s ‘Listen, Act, and ‘Learn’ platform. Both globalgiving and Mchanga are some of the online fundraising platforms that VAP has been utilizing to support and sustain its existing projects.

 Back To Back Time!

After a long spell of holiday season, it was all back to the programs calendar as VAP coaches armed with their program tools invaded various schools across Nairobi. A total of thirty five coaches and volunteers are all out in different schools, both high schools and primary schools implementing different programs across Nairobi. With other upcoming projects, VAP is aligning itself in establishing and strengthening various chapters across the region.