1. A report on the Grassroots Soccer HIV Program and Menchum
Division Girl’s Football Tournament
By Jonathan Keenan,
Youth Development
Peace Corps Volunteer

2. Refuge for African Child (REACH)
REACH is a grassroots NGO based in Wum, Menchum Division working to assist vulnerable and
orphaned children. Created in 2001 by director NYAMBI Ibrahim, REACH has dedicated its work
to improving the lives of vulnerable and orphaned children through numerous programs and
seminars. By empowering youth to become responsible, active citizens, REACH is helping create
a generation which can take Cameroon forward into the modern world.
Their main annual programs, Grassroots Soccer Program and Girl’s Football Tournament,
spreads information to students and the community concerning HIV, early pregnancy, and
gender equality. As the students come to better understand how to protect themselves and
treat those around them, they become more full citizens of Wum and Cameroon as a whole.
Children are the building blocks of the future and act as ambassadors to the friends and families
after the session is completed.
The American Peace Corps
The American Peace Corps is a volunteer program created in 1962 by then President John F.
Kennedy. Under the supervision of General Shriver, volunteers from the American Peace Corps
were invited to various nations across the world to assist in their development. Service in these
nations focuses around three goals:
Goal 1 – To help the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and
women
Goal 2 – To help promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples
served
Goal 3 - To help promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans
Cameroon first invited Peace Corps Volunteers, PCVs, in 1962 and thus far over 4,000
volunteers have served in Cameroon consecutively since its creation, one of the longest tenures
in the world. Currently, there are 167 PCVs across Cameroon who focus on one of four
programs: Agriculture, Community Economic Development, Education, Health, and Youth
Development.
Each program has its separate purposes. The following are the tasks assigned to the Youth
Development Program, as the volunteer of the tournament is of this discipline:
Goal 1 - Promoting healthy lifestyles and life skills
Objective 1.1 - Promoting life skills and leadership

3. By the end of 2018, 1,020 youth will demonstrate improvement in at least 3 out of 5 key life skill areas
including positive identity, communication, decision making, goal setting skills, and leadership.
Objective 1.2 - HIV/AIDS support for People Living With HIV/AIDS
By the end of 2018, 473 youth living with HIV/AIDS will be involved in PLWHA support groups and/or
other HIV/AIDS awareness activities, AND will demonstrate knowledge regarding HIV/AIDS transmission
and methods of prevention.
Objective 1.3 - HIV/AIDS prevention for youth
By the end of 2018, 3,060 youth will demonstrate knowledge regarding HIV/AIDS transmission and
methods of prevention, and/or other HIV/AIDS awareness and impact mitigation activities.
Objective 1.4 Sexual reproductive health education
By 2018, 3,060 youth will use their new knowledge of sexual and reproductive health to make healthy,
informed decisions about their health and sexual well-being.
Goal 2 - Building community support for youth development
Objective 2.1: Increasing service providers’ support.
By 2018, 375 service providers will demonstrate ongoing, active support for positive youth
development, with an emphasis on girls
Objective 2.2: Increasing the support of organizations.
By 2018, 240 community organizations will support and encourage positive youth development.
The Programs: Grassroots Soccer HIV Program and Menchum Division
Girl’s Football Tournament
Grassroots Soccer is a football based program from South Africa which aims to prevent HIV/AIDS while
teaching those involved about the issues and problems which manifest from early pregnancy, sexually
transmitted infections, and promiscuous relationships. Its twelve lessons, taught by a Grassroots SKILLZ
Coach, are done through football drills while teaching the youth practical ways to avoid HIV and stop the
spread of the disease in the community. Discussions and activities are held throughout the practice
allowing students to learn from audio keys and by doing physically. The program has taught more than
738.000 children in this worldwide program. Grassroots Soccer SKILLZ Coaches, trained REACH
members, added to this growing number by working at ten schools across Menchum Division during the
2014-2015 academic year: Government Bilingual High School Wum, Government High School at Befang,
Bu, Wum, and Zhoa, Government Secondary School Upkwa, Government Technical College at Waindu
and Weh, Government Technical High School Wum, and Presbyterian High School Wum.
At the close of the Grassroots Soccer Program, a tournament is played between classes or schools to
allow for a celebration. In Menchum, this has been converted to the North West’s only and first girl’s
only tournament. Typically, girls in Cameroon are confined to the sideline as spectators watching boys
play on school teams, club teams, and pick-up matches with their friends. The only chance they have to
play is during their once per week sports class or with boys, at which point they are told they are not
allowed to play as they “do not know how to do so properly.” By creating a tournament of this caliber,
girls from across Menchum Division had the chance to take off their dresses and put on uniforms as they
sweat, working for a victory.

4. The Girls Football Tournament consists of the football tournament itself, a sub-tournament between
Cameroonians and Peace Corps Volunteers, and various activities the community was allowed to
participate in. It involved organizations on international, national, and local levels as various activities
were carried out. During the tournament, free HIV testing was held for a community holding one of the
highest in the country ranging between 10-15%, with one village reaching 19%. This screening allows for
individuals to continue protecting themselves, their partner(s), and the community as a whole.
Counseling is given to all as they go through the process of testing to spread the knowledge of how to
assist themselves if one is to become positive. Information concerning support groups and antiretroviral
treatment was be given as well. Further sensitizations tables are held informing the public on gender
equality, importance of being tested for HIV, and malaria.
Program Details
For the past year, the American Peace Corps Youth Development Volunteer (PCV) Jonathan Keenan has
collaborated with Refuge for African Child (REACH) director by Nyambi Ibrahim and Mbili Lovett, Sub-
Delegate of Sports of Furu-Awa and member of REACH on the Grassroots Soccer Program and Girls
Football Tournament. Together, they worked alongside the Delegation of Secondary Education,
Delegation of Sports and Physical Education as the programs focused on initiatives from both. Both
programs were started last year by American PCV Andrew Bloch who handed the task of continuing
them to his replacement, Jonathan Keenan. All parties agreed, based on the success of the previous
year, the two programs should be taken to the next level by allowing more schools to participate,
Together with REACH and the Delegations, PCV Keenan worked to not only sustain, but grow these
programs due to their relevance to Wum and all of Menchum Division. After preliminary meetings, they
planned to expand the Grassroots Soccer Program to 10 schools, up from 3 schools the year before, and
the number of schools in the football tournament from 7 to 31. Once this was completed, a budget was
formed and work began to ensure the success of both programs.
Students between Form 1 and 3 were chosen at their schools to be involved in weekly classes of the
Grassroots Soccer HIV Program course by the Coach who was to be accompanied by the school’s sport
instructor and instructed on the lesson at hand. At the end of this program, the students took final
exams before receiving certificates showing they had completed their lessons. Grassroots Soccer
Program teaches those involved on the issues and concerns of unsafe sex and HIV/AIDS, while reducing
teenage pregnancies
Initially, 31 secondary schools were to participate in the tournament, they were organized into
groupings within their sub-division before winners come to the divisional headquarters for the finals.
Due to the tournament’s size, dates were scheduled in the sub-divisions to allow for all to play
successfully in the tournament through the use of preliminary tournaments. Group play was created for
the various pools where they met and played, winners from these pools continued to the sub-division
level with the winner then representing the sub-division at the divisional finals in Wum on Friday, May
15, 2015.

5. Supporters
As the Grassroots Soccer Program was centered on students from Form 1 through Form 3 and involved
sports, the PCV first reached out to the Delegation of Secondary Education assistance in order to hand
the program over in the future. Schools were permitted to contribute what they could for the Program
as the school year was about to start and annual fees had already been agreed upon. Trained REACH
Members in the Grassroots Soccer course were then instructed to go to schools once a week to instruct
the students on HIV and unwanted pregnancy.
For the tournament, numerous partners from all levels were requested to lend assistance: Town
Councils, Delegations, members of the community, telecommunication companies, American Peace
Corps, and REACH.
The Councils of Wum Central and Furu-Awa Sub-Division Division contributed to the tournament
by providing trophies, use of the field, and purchase of materials needed for the event’s success
as well as assisting with transport from Furu-Awa to Wum.
The Delegations lent support in their personal ways. The Delegation of Secondary Education
came in to allow the girls to play football, releasing 15 girls in Forms 1 through 3 from their
courses on two separate occasions and sent students from the schools to cheer on their female
classmates. Those from the Delegation Sports and Physical Education gave technical support on
how to arrange and organize the tournament as well as acted as officials during the games to
ensure fair play between the teams. Other delegations, MINIPAT and Youth Affairs were
reached out to for assistance as well in terms of materials.
Local organizations assisted in the sensitizations as well as free HIV screenings. The HIV women’s
group of Precious Sisters contributed tables and chairs which were used throughout while the
hospital was able to donate 1000 HIV tests as well as technicians to perform them.
Orange and Camtel supported the members of the community just as the members of the
community invited them to do business in Menchum. They were able to give to the tournament
as they saw fit, with all contributions given to players for their work throughout the tournament.
- Orange, the main sponsor of the tournament, gave shirts, footballs, school supplies, and
bags. These prizes were given to all the teams who reached the final stage of the
tournament.
- Camtel donated shirts, phones, and credit which was used to communicate between those
involved throughout the different phases of play.
As the programs began with and supported by the American Peace Corps, request for grant
assistance as well as volunteers were applied for. Having support from this organization allowed
for the program to gain its first breath and allow the other programs to continue its life into the
second and final year of funding eligibility.

6. Finally, to ensure the success of the final event, committees were created within REACH to
oversee the various tasks needed for the tournament to be a success:
o Decorations – Cleaning and readying the Grandstand at the stadium and Council
Hall. Putting up decorations and needed materials such as chairs and tables for use
throughout the program for sensitization tables, HIV testing, for the community to
sit under the pavilion.
o Food and Housing – in charge of cooking the food for those involved – players,
volunteers, community members – as well as finding lodging for the teams who
needed to travel the day before the finals, ie. The representative of Furu-Awa sub-
division.
o Logistics – Ensuring the rental of chairs, tables, canopies. Acquiring of these
materials and those from the hospital for HIV testing and returning them after the
tournament had finished. Collecting funds and materials from various sources.
Gathering members of the community for
o Publicity – Going to the community and informing people of the events of the main
event. Creating and hanging posters, banners, distributing handouts and invitations.
Informing traditional and religious leaders of the event at hand and ensuring they
relayed the information to members of their respected communities.
o Sports – Working with the Delegation of Sports and sports instructors to prepare the
coaches and the teams participating. Overseeing the cross country race through
Wum Town.
Through the following months, all worked to complete the needed tasks with each person having their
own list and due dates.
Results
Grassroots Soccer HIV Program:
Working with the sport instructors at 10 schools – Government Bilingual High School Wum, Government
High School Befang, Bu, Wum, and Zhoa, Government Secondary School Befang, Upkwa, Government
Technical College Waindu and Weh, and Government Technical High School Wum, and Presbyterian
High School – the Grassroots Soccer Program finally started in November after schools made their
payment of health insurance fees. 263 students were successfully sensitized on HIV and unwanted
pregnancy by trained Grassroots Soccer Skillz Coaches.
Girl’s Football Tournament:
A final count of 17 teams participated in the tournament throughout Menchum Division. As each team
carried 15 girls, a total of 255 girls were able to play on the football pitch. These girls were empowered
through gender equality before their friends, families, and various community members throughout the
tournament. As an all-girl’s tournament, those on and off the field learned girls are as capable as boys to
play the sport of football. The girls themselves learned leadership skills, the importance of teamwork,
and healthy life practices. They met girls their own age they may not have had the chance to interact

7. with before, creating bonds and friendships. For the finals, the following teams came to represent their
sub-divisions:
Benakuma – Government Secondary School Befang
Fungom – Government Technical High School Weh
Furu-Awa – Government Secondary School Furu-Awa
Wum Central – Government Bilingual High School Wum
Ultimately, during the finals of the tournament, GBHS Wum came out victorious after the match went
into penalty kicks.
For HIV testing, each individual was asked to fill out information concerning their age, gender, and home
village in order to inform them of their status. The remainder of the tests will be used to screen students
on the Secondary level at schools in Wum Central once school starts in September.
A lower than expected crowd turnout can be attributed to the consistent rain which fell throughout the
day. This weather disturbance delayed parts of the program causing others to be removed to make up
for the time.
Next Step
A Training of Trainers will be held in August of 2015 to ensure the capability of Sport Instructors from
Menchum Division to learn and then teach Grassroots Soccer as part of their curriculum for the 2015-
2016 academic year. Further trainings for those interested will take place throughout the academic year
as well as into the following summer with hopes of allowing as many as 20 schools to fully run the
program for the 2016-2017 academic year. Within the span of five years, the entire population of
Menchum Division can avoid the risks of HIV, allowing the rate to drop significantly in the future.
The tournament itself will grow to other divisions as people witness and hear of what had been done in
Menchum Division. This opportunity gives the girls the chance to play their favorite sport of football and
aspire to better themselves every day. Having a divisional or even regional tournament may give some
girls the chance to participate in the next women’s World Cup or Africa’s Cup of Nations.
On the part of REACH and the members of the delegations in Menchum Division, they will focus on the
sustainability of that in Menchum. Working together as well as with community partners, this will be a
success as the program enters its third year.
As the success of these programs continues, so must the work which we do. If these beneficial
programs were to stop the work, time, and resources put toward them would have been in
vain. Instead, we need to continue working with the local community to ensure sustainability
and continuation of both programs.