Global youth sports program spreading the word
on the importance of adopting healthy lifestyles
Children throughout AIDS-ravaged Zambia are getting much-needed opportunities to participate in physical activities – and learn the value of adopting healthy lifestyles – through the Game On! Youth Sports programs that have been in place for the past year.
“I have good academic results, good knowledge in HIV/AIDS and drugs and I won’t stop attending those sessions,” said 13-year-old Brenda Banda, a Game On! Youth Sports participant.
Banda’s story is much the same as those of countless other children throughout Zambia who have participated in Game On! – a program of the International Alliance For Youth Sports (IAYS) that addresses issues hindering sports programming for children worldwide. Through Game On! Zambian children are being steered away from many of the negative factors that can destroy lives.
As the HIV/AIDS epidemic continues in Zambia, the focus on health awareness continues as well. The Zambian government has recognized the potential sports participation has in developing positive health habits in youth, and as a result has begun to institute Game On! in several schools.
Funds were allocated for repairing and building sports facilities, and thousands of dollars worth of sports equipment and apparel has been distributed as well.
As Game On! continues to assist Zambia’s underprivileged children, the positive feedback for the program continues to pour in. Countless children have expressed their gratitude for the opportunity to participate in such a program, and many have shared their heart-wrenching stories of losing parents and loved ones to deadly diseases.
After 15-year-old Morgan Shula’s parents died in 2001, he went to live with his uncle. Unfortunately, Shula eventually found himself living on the streets and resorting to drug use, something he felt was a way to forget his problems.
After living for six years on the streets he was introduced to the Fountain of Hope Drop In Center For Street Kids. Today, he is in the seventh grade and is very much involved in the sports activities Game On! is providing to his school.
“Peer coaches from Game On! teach us about HIV/AIDS, drugs and child rights,” Shula said. “This has helped me to know how to look after myself. Sport is good to me and keeps me away from the bad vices.”
Gift Phiri, an 18-year-old student at the Word of Life Community School, missed four years of schooling after his father died. Although his uncle took him in and re-enrolled him in school, he was unable to afford things such as sports equipment or materials.
Thanks to Game On!, he has received support in the form of sports equipment, school materials and even clothing.
“The activities that the peer coaches at Game On! offer has helped me to live a happier life through the interaction with my friends during the activities,” Phiri said.
Zikomo Kwambili is the guardian and caretaker for her four grandchildren. Since her husband died she has been unable to work and has struggled to provide her grandchildren with clothes or sports attire.
She is extremely pleased now that her grandson, Sheppard, has become very active in sports and has beautiful new sports attire.
“May God bless you and keep on helping us because you are making a big difference in the lives of these children,” Kwambili said.
These positive trends are catching on, and the philanthropy of IAYS has begun to rub off on the participants.
“I would like to be a soccer trainer and join Game On! to teach my friends the dangers of HIV/AIDS and drug abuse because what I have learned here I want to share,” said 17-year-old Aaron Phiri.
A proud parent wrote: “My child never wanted to discuss HIV/AIDS and was promiscuous. He is now a visibly and unbelievably changed person and has been educating all his sisters and friends.”
The positive results from Zambia are just one example of how a regimented sports and fitness routine can greatly influence a child’s development – something IAYS is dedicated to.
As evident from the testimonies pouring in, Game On! is making a difference in the lives of children throughout Zambia, and will continue doing so. | 
