The fourth annual CFM Mali football and social education training course was held in July. 72 local coaches from various organisations around Bamako, Koulikoro, and Segou were invited to participate. Much of the course’s success can be attributed to the strength, enthusiasm and engagement of the local coaches, ten of whom have been working with us since 2005 and took on great leadership roles as Senior Coach Educators. They facilitated the training of 50 new coaches, and exemplified the ideals of Coaching for Hope through teamwork, leadership, innovation and responsibility.

In partnership with the National Federation of Sport for Persons with Disabilities (FEMASH), we introduced our first disability inclusion course with 13 local coaches and athletes from the federation. UK trainers, Steve Bartlett and Nikki Richardson led a high quality course focusing on adapting games to enable disabled people to engage in the sessions and challenging prejudice about disability and sport. Participants included two blind athletes, two athletes with motor impairments, and two athletes with learning difficulties. The course was a great opportunity for all
involved in the course to re-think their vision of sport for disability.

This September CFH Mali teamed up with AMPJF and The National Federation of Football to train 16 coaches of young women's teams in Mali. AMPJF uses football to raise sexual health awareness questions among young girls and is another beneficiary of CFH funding partner, Football for Hope. Two level three coaches led a four day session on basic football coaching techniques for women and girls. The training was hailed by the National Technical Director as "what Malian football needs".

Local coach Lamine Samake is promoting HIV awareness in his community. Building on what he has learned with CFH, Lamine is systematically training youth throughout the peripheral community of Samé. Every time he finishes a series of sessions, Lamine starts up another series. He often runs sessions in the morning and the afternoon in order to reach more young people. Lamine says that the CFH approach of using football to talk about sexual health is attracting a lot of attention in his neighbourhood. Lamine takes inspiration from the young people he works with, saying: "it is their courage and determination that drive me". Lamine's engagement with young people in Samé has encouraged them to take their own action, organising community clean ups, and writing HIV and AIDS drama pieces.

Coaching for Hope wishes to welcome the new Assistant Project, Birama Konaté. Birama joined the CFH team in Mali in October.

 

Coaching for Hope in Burkina Faso

After the seventh Coaching for Hope training course in Burkina Faso finished in June 2008, the football coaches from CFH partner Réseau Africain Jeunesse Santé et Développement au Burkina Faso (RAJS/BF) returned to their communities in rural Burkina Faso and have now begun rolling out their sexual health awareness workshops with the support of CFH and RAJS/BF.

August saw the completion of a competition held between level 2 and level 3 coaches to see which coach held the most workshops and supervisions of workshops during Aug 2007-Aug 2008. The competition was held to provide added motivation amongst the Ouagadougou based CFH coaches to deliver more sexual health awareness workshops on HIV and AIDS and football. In this contest, two coaches stood out clearly from the others; Sankara Abdoulaye (level 2) and Zinona Martin Ouepia (level 3). Sankara Abdoulaye delivered three series of eight sexual health workshops then supervised ten other workshops. Martin Zinona delivered ten series of eight workshops to approximately 200 young people and supervised more than 45 workshops in the course of the year. These two coaches received their prizes at the end of August - a very beautiful pair of adidas boots.

Finally, the last word must go to level 3 CFH coach Hunlede Kissimbo Anani Kafui or "Benjamin" to those lucky enough to know him. At the end of August Benjamin planned and delivered a weekend football tournament for the children in his neighbourhood in Ouagadougou, with the support of CFH. This impressive event involved eight teams (each led by a qualified CFH coach) and over 120 children who are members of grassroots footballs clubs in Ouagadougou. All teams played several matches of football and also competed in CFH 'integrated' football and sexual health training sessions, which help develop football skills whilst providing the football coach with opportunities to raise awareness about sexual health issues on the football field. Points scored in the integrated sessions then helped determine the winners along with the results of the football matches, and so added a competitive element to the learning about sexual health. This meant all the teams gave maximum concentration to the integrated sessions as each wanted to win the tournament. As well as receiving potentially life saving information about HIV and AIDS, all the children had a decent lunch, had a fun time, and the best teams and players walked off with some great sportswear donated by CFH supporter adidas. Congratulations must go to Benjamin for the conception and execution of this great event. He is now planning a similar event in rural Burkina Faso to coincide with World Aids day (1st Dec) which should involve a further 80 young people in football games, integrated football and sexual health training sessions and discussions about HIV.

 

Coaching for Hope in Southern Africa

In August 2008, 25 local soccer coaches in Ramotswa, Botswana, took place in a week long Coaching for Hope training course. The participants came from a local partner organisation called South East District Youth Empowerment League (SEDYEL) - a league which is run by young people for young people and spans several rural villages and districts in South Eastern Botswana.

The course was delivered by UK coach Yianny Iouannou. At SEDYEL's request this training course focused mainly on football coaching technique and delivery. This is because SEDYEL already have their own soccer based life skills and HIV programme up and running. The idea behind this is that the higher the coaching capacity of the local trainers, the more effective any other education they tag onto the football sessions will be. Coaching for Hope programme Manager Tom Pitchon, who travelled to Botswana to watch the training course, explains: "SEDYEL are a very inspiring organisation and it was a pleasure to collaborate with them on this. They and their coaches seemed really pleased with how the course went, and with the fact that we were able to tailor it to meet their specific needs. The aim is for participants to pick up a host of transferable skills in terms of communicating with young people, planning sessions, and delivering them with confidence, that will in turn make a real difference both to the football sessions being rolled out through the league and the HIV awareness and life skills programme".

Coaches from SEDYEL at the end of a CFH training workshop in the rural area of Ramotswa in Botswana	CFH workshop rolled out in the rural area of Ramotswa in Botswana, with coaches from South East District Youth Empowerment League 1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In October, three adult coaches and four young leaders from the English FA flew in to Cape Town to share their skills with local coaches and young people from townships around the city, in partnership with a local partner organisation, the Amandla Ku Lutsha League (a league specifically for children outside family care). The Coaching for Hope training programme included a three day coaching course for local coaches run by top FA coaches, and afternoon football workshops for disadvantaged young people run by eight young leaders (four from The English FA, and four South Africans from the Amandla Ku Lutsha League). Local coaches attending the course came from the Amandla Ku Lutsha League and also the Western Cape Street Soccer League (responsible for selecting South Africa's Homeless World Cup squad). The afternoon soccer workshops took place at various orphanages  and children's homes around the city including Bapumalele Orphanage, The Homestead Street Children's Centre, Holy Cross Children’s Home, and Marsh Memorial Children's Home.

 

Coaching for Hope in the UK

CFH has just applied to the National College of Further Education to have all our curriculum material accredited, which would mean all football coaches attending future CFH courses would earn a recognised certificate providing they pass the course. This accreditation would be a massive coup for us as it would significantly benefit our colleagues in the countries we work in and massively appeal to potential partners whilst also adding to our ability to effectively help build the capacity of our current partners.