Girl Sport

HIV/AIDS in Uganda

27,269,482: population of Uganda (July 2005 est.)

1,000,000: Estimated number of people living with HIV/AIDS by the end of 2005

6.7%: Estimated percentage of adults (ages 15-49) living with HIV/AIDS by the end of 2005

520,000: Estimated number of women (ages 15-49) living with HIV/AIDS by the end of 2005

91,000: Estimated number of deaths due to AIDS during 2005

1,000,000:Estimated number of children who have lost their mother or father or both parents to AIDS and who were alive and under the age of 17 (2005)
Sources

See the joy that comes from playing, girls too can play, in such moments orphaned children like the above find joy, fun, happiness, friends, peace thru’ sport and they derive trauma healing thru sport.

A young netball player and trainer selects teams to play in the kids side netball.

In action, Africa Youth Ministries encourages both young girls and women to participate in sports activities through their taught life skills.

Young girls in Kireka village try out married ladies.

Girls train to play volleyball

Canadian Girls play soccer with Ugandan girls in the last concluded exchange program code named "All Girls Deserve a Chance"

Like the right to an education, the right to play is vital for a child's development. Children who play sports learn important social skills and core values and tend to be healthier, but far too often - particularly in developing countries – girls are relegated to the sidelines and are only supposed to do domestic chores, that is cooking, collecting firewood, fetching water etc

Point Grey Secondary School Girls Soccer pose for a picture with girls in Uganda under the sports for social change program run and managed by Africa Youth Ministries in a bid to promote girls soccer in Uganda. Majority of the girls in our program above, are those who have been orphaned by AIDS

Friendly netball match Suubi U14 Netball club of Jinja plays out with Nawampiti Village Community Netball Club. Both clubs are fully sponsored and trained by Africa Youth Ministries Uganda . Thru’ such sports activities young girls are made aware of the HIV disease and how to avoid to get infected. Girls are encouraged to Abstain from Premarital Sex.

Africa Youth Ministries Uganda a Child and Youth focused non profit making organization is undertaking to develop girl’s sports breaking cultural barriers that prohibit girls or women from participating in sports. Using sport as a development tool girls have been given an opportunity to participate in organized sport at the community level.

Sports training activities are done after school in the evening, and on the weekends, with however a Holiday program which is conducted when Children are back from school. Here activities are conducted from Monday to Saturday, here children report for training after they have completed their domestic chores. This has been made possible through sensitizing parents and guardians on the importance of letting girls getting involved in sports.

Through Sport Girls are sensitized about HIV/AIDS and how to avoid getting infected, Teen Pregnancy, and drugs. With a major emphasis on Children Orphaned by AIDS, further impact life skills in these young people such as budgeting, home management, time management, income generating activities, refusal skills on sexual advances, etc. Through sport we have seen girls esteem growing high and their desire to have the sporting time increased, this helps them from getting into risky behaviors.

Nanaimo Island Girls Soccer Club in Vancouver Canada donates soccer balls towards developing girls soccer in Uganda. AYM is working in partnership with many girls sports groups in support of Girls Sports Development in Uganda.

PG Westside Vancouver Soccer Girls head to Uganda this spring break 2008, under the International School's Partnership Program (ISP) run by Africa Youth Ministries.

HIV/AIDS & The Young Persons

Every minute of every day six young people between the age of 15 and 24 become HIV-positive. HIV/AIDS is increasingly a disease of the young and most vulnerable, particularly girls. More than a third of all people living with HIV/AIDS are under the age of 25, and almost two-thirds of them are women. Of the 5 million new infections in 2002, half were among young people.

Preventing HIV among young people is at the core of AYMU national response. Because so many young people cannot or do not go to school, Africa Youth Ministries Uganda, through sport many out of school young people have been given the opportunity of receiving life-saving information. Through Sport, we have helped set up various ‘anti-AIDS’ clubs for students and out-of-school youths

GIRLS TOO, CAN PLAY

Girls thru’ sport they find fun, joy, safe environment, make friends and this helps them to avoid risky behaviors. 90% of girls who participate in our sports programs, are those who have been orphaned by AIDS.

To getting many young girls involved in both in school and community based sports, Africa Youth Ministries Uganda in November 2006, launched community and school seminars on Girls sport.

Breaking cultural barrier, in Africa girls are only restricted to netball though a few try out volleyball and basketball if not in the Kitchen. Africa Youth Ministries Uganda , is giving an opportunity to young girls to participate in soccer, thru’ our girls soccer program.

Girls train to play volleyball: In Uganda, Volleyball is a male dominated and urban sport.

A group of young girls in the SUUBI U15 netball club in Mafubira Sub county Jinja District pose for a photo with leaders of Africa Youth Ministries and coaches.

For further details on this program and how you can help, kindly drop us an email at girls. sports@aymu.org