By Sailos Gumunyu and Brian Manhiri
MARONDERA– The Zimbabwe Community Health Intervention Research (ZiCHIRe-BC), in partnership with the National AIDS Council (NAC) brought together local youths for a thrilling day of sports and health awareness.
The ‘Brotha 2 Brotha campaign which was held last week featured men’s soccer, volleyball, basketball, and netball competitions, with a focus on combating drug and substance abuse among youths aged 15-24.
Graced by officials from the Ministry of Sports, Recreation, Arts, and Culture and the Sports Recreation Commission (SRC), the campaign showcased the power of sports in promoting health and well-being.
Marondera district sports director Jossam Pulumutsa thanked ZiCHIRe BC and the National AIDS Council for the initiative.
He said: “We are grateful for the initiative from our usual development partners for coming on board to support us through availing resources that brought the youths from Marondera district together, using sport as a tool to combat drug and substance abuse.”
The sports tournament was a huge success, with teams competing fiercely in various disciplines. In the netball sports code, Wakanda emerged victorious while in basketball, Kushinga Phikelela came out tops. Thunders FC were winners in men’s soccer.
The event also provided free health services, including HIV testing, BP checks, family planning services and mental health support. The youths were entertained and educated on the importance of abstaining from early sex, family planning, and seeking health services.
On the day, matches’ officials ensured fair play and sportsmanship throughout the tournament and the energy and enthusiasm of the young men and women were palpable, making it a resounding success.
The ‘Brotha 2 Brotha’ campaign is a shining example of how sports can be used as a tool for social change. By partnering with key stakeholders, including the Ministry of Health and Child Care and the Zimbabwe National Family Planning Council (ZNFPC), ZiCHIRe BC demonstrated its commitment to promoting health and well-being among the country’s young people.
Meanwhile, ZiCHIRe director Walter Chikanya told Chaminuka that the tournament was meant to empower young men and women to address key issues that negatively affect them, including gender-based violence, drug and substance abuse as well as sexual reproductive health related issues.
Chikanya said: “This programme is for adolescence boys and young men and is there to empower them into responsible youths who respect their counterparts. We are also there to address key societal challenges that are faced within communities now and again. Young people face many challenges and owing to certain obstacles that they face in life, many end up dropping out of school while reports of teenage pregnancies persist.
“Our idea is in this programme is to indirectly benefit the adolescent boys, girls and young women in areas where we see negative impacts of gender based violence being addressed through empowering them.”
SRC provincial coordinator Tellmore Chibanda said the collaborative approach will lead into the transformation of youths for them to be responsible leaders through sports.
“As the Sports and Recreation Commission, we are grateful to our stakeholders who came on board to the development of sport. This is an intervention strategy as we capture youths and ensure that they refrain from social challenges that include drug and other substances abuse,” Chibanda said.
One of the participants, Hope Kwaramba, a soccer player, applauded ZiCHIRe and other stakeholders for organising the tournament, which he said went a long way in addressing several issues that affect youths.
“It is my hope that many youths have been transformed through their participation at the tournament. I would like to thank ZiCHIRe and other stakeholders such as the NAC for such a campaign, which was meant to develop sports and address other issues that affect us like drugs and substance abuse. We have also been groomed on how to be responsible leaders in the future,” Kwaramba said.
