GALS & GOALS EXPANDS TO NORTHERN NAMIBIA

The Namibia Football Association is taking its popular development program, Galz & Goals to the Oshana and Zambezi regions through football and healthy lifestyle festivals.

The Galz & Goals programme combines football with life skills, HIV/Aids and health education to create a platform through which adolescent girls can gain skills and knowledge by active participation and learn to make healthy choices.

According to a media statement availed by the NFA, Zambezi will host the first festival on 11 March, while Oshakati in Oshana will host one on 18 March. There will be football tournaments for u13, u15, u17 and u20 teams and lifestyle skills activities by Score Namibia - a sport for development organisation.

At the same time, health education and services such as free HIV counselling and testing for parents and other adults will be provided by the Ministry of Health and Social Services. The NFA's partner in the programme, the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), will be represented at both events.

National manager of the NFA Galz & Goals project, Jackie Gertze, stated: “We are very excited about taking Galz & Goals to Zambezi and Oshana and believe the programme will make an impact in the young girls' lives, as it has done in other regions.”

Both regions have a high prevalence rate of HIV/Aids among women, hence the NFA's decision to reach out to girls there with life skills and health education through football, the statement added. With the help of UNICEF, the programme has so far reached 18,000 girls around Namibia and at least 4,000 girls are expected to play in the Galz & Goals u13, u15, u17 and u20 leagues this year.

Leading up to the festivals, as many as 70 coaches will receive training in health lifestyle, HIV/Aids and life skills coaching from Score Namibia. International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA) instructor, Jacqui Shipanga, will also train them in how to coach girls and women in football.