England Women’s Head Coach Hope Powell will be sharing her football expertise with underprivileged children in Cape Town this week, as she takes up her role as Ambassador of FA international charity partner Coaching For Hope.
Coaching For Hope (CFH) uses football to empower vulnerable young people in the developing world and makes them aware of the dangers of HIV and AIDS.
It does this by training local coaches and educators to coach football and to use the game to spark debate about HIV and AIDS among children in their communities.
CFH already runs successful programmes in Burkina Faso and Mali and with the 2010 World Cup in South Africa on the horizon, the charity has chosen to pilot its project in Cape Town to coincide with World AIDS Day on 1 December.
South Africa has the highest number of people living with HIV/AIDS in the world, with an average of 1,500 people infected daily. There are more than 42m HIV-infected people globally with nearly 30m of those in Africa.
Powell said: “I feel proud to be involved in The FA’s international work and with Coaching For Hope and I am delighted to be part of this week’s coaching programme.
“I’m sure it will be an eye-opening experience not just for myself, but for the other coaches from England. It’s great to be able to share our skills with local coaches in South Africa and to help their development.
“It will be a first for some of the male and female coaches who will be on the course to be coached by a woman, but that will hopefully bring even more benefits as the idea is to empower girls and women so that they can tackle the issues surrounding HIV and AIDS.
“Girls and women in Africa need positive role models and I am hoping my presence will prove that irrespective of gender, you can still take responsibility for your own destiny and aim high.”
Powell will be joined by coaches from Tottenham Hotspur, Everton, Queens Park Rangers and a local trainer from an organisation called Kicking Aids Out at the Marsh Memorial Children’s Home in Rondenbosch.
They will take a group of 40 participants through an intensive week-long training programme and provide football coaching to children from the local SOS Children’s Village.
Powell will be joined by CFH patron Norman Cook, better known as DJ Fatboy Slim, who is hosting a series of fundraising concerts for the charity in South Africa.
To donate to Coaching For Hope, text GOAL to 82085 to donate £1*
http://www.coachingforhope.org/
*Calls cost £1 plus network charges