A Small Grant Project Aiming to Make A Difference

Here's a picture of 40 deflated balls, a megaphone, and a volleyball net

At the beginning of this year, I wrote a grant for a girls sports camp from the local elementary school.  I recently received the money for the event and my counterparts and I bought 40 balls, whistles, a volleyball net, and a megaphone.  We still need to buy more things for the program but we were able to get most of it.

Even though we're excited about the camp, my counterpart and I will be really busy the next couple of weeks organizing the activities.  I'll post pictures and more information in a few weeks.

If you're curious about the camp, I pasted part of the grant below.  However, I omitted some information about my school and city for security reasons.

Let the games begin!

August 11th , 2014 will be the commencement of a three-day, all-girls sports camp at Escola
Secundaria PPPPPPPPPP), where ten female high school student athletes
from PPPPP will facilitate activities that will educate female students from a primary school in
the community called PPPPPPPP2. The girls from the elementary school will be between
the ages 10 and 13 and will learn about the transmission process of HIV/AIDS while learning the
fundamentals of soccer, basketball, volleyball, and handball. The student athletes from PPPP
will receive one day of training about the activities that they will lead, including training in
HIV/AIDS education. During the one-day training, the athletes will also design an educational
mural that will illustrate HIV/AIDS prevention practices on the walls of the school gymnasium.
The girls from the primary school will continue to participate in "palestras" sports activities over
several weekends until November 1st, 2014, when they will have their final tournament. The
community will be contributing its covered gymnasium at the secondary school for the event and
the practices that will follow. The principal goal of this project is to provide the community girls
with stimulating, sustainable, and educational activities that involve sports that will maximize
their leadership and team-building skills. Essentially, the objective of this event is to highlight
the connection between participating in sports and collaboratively defeating HIV and AIDS as a
community.


The high school, ********, in which the sports camp will be taking place, is located just
outside of a small city called, ********. This city, which is located in the ******** province, is a
home to ###,### people. Although ******** is quickly developing, many people live in poverty
and women's roles remain traditional. Because ******** has one of the highest number of
people infected with HIV/AIDS in the country at 18% ********, it is pivotal that the youth
in ******** learn about the true facts around HIV/AIDS and debunk the myths about the virus
starting at an early age. The project was first identified by faculty members at ******** who
wanted to implement a sustainable, fun, and educational event for the girls in the community .
They strongly believe that encouraging the young women to get involved in extra-curricular
activities like sports, can reduce the likelihood of them engaging in risky behavior like
unprotected sex. Essentially, the idea is that the emphasis in leadership, teamwork, and
community involvement in sports practice, will warrant high self-worth for the young girls and
will indirectly help prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS in ********.

Community Involvement

The community will be offering its secondary school, ********, 
for the three-day sports camp. Colleagues at ******** participated in planning for the
girls camp that will encourage them to get involved in sports at an early age, so that by the
time they enroll in high school, they have the basic fundamentals in sports and HIV/AIDS
education. It has been overwhelming to see how much the community has been eager to get
involved in the event. My counterpart, ********, has been planning and
organizing most of the sports camp. Also, a woman in the community named ********
has volunteered to give the HIV/AIDS "palestras", as she has experience in educating young
adults and children about the virus. Further, the teachers at the******** have volunteered their
time to help plan and organize the camp event.

The principal desired outcome of implementing a sports camp for girls and the creation of an
HIV/AIDS mural in the school's gymnasium is to encourage a dialogue in the community about
the true facts around HIV/AIDS. Further, the young women spearheading and participating in
the event will challenge gender roles in the community about women being in leadership
positions and partaking in traditionally male-dominated activities. The "palestras" and fun
sports activities at the camp, will be centered around HIV/AIDS education. The female student
athletes at ******** will gain leadership skills and will acquire a solid foundation in sports and
HIV/AIDS education that will be discussed with community members. Ideally, the student
athletes and the girls from the primary schools will learn games that will educate the
participants on the virus that can also be played in the community.

I am hopeful that the camp will encourage girls from elementary schools to pursue sports in the 
future because it will help them develop leadership skills, community involvement, and it will 
encourage them to take care of their bodies.

Now The Girls Can Run With Both Hands Free: Sports Bra Donation

Like some other cultures, many boys in Mozambique are encouraged to play sports and graduate from high school, while girls are encouraged to learn how to cook and clean for their families.  In other words, for most of my basketball girls, practicing free-throw shots and lay-ups three times a week is discouraged.  However, my most dedicated team players wake up at four o'clock in the morning to wash clothes and dishes, just so that they can be at practice at seven o'clock.

Also, what often makes it a little bit more challenging for girls and women athletes here is running without a sports bra.  My girls can't afford sports bras and it was very uncomfortable for them to run without the support.

Last year, I wrote a blog entry on how my basketball girls, the Lady Divas, needed sport bras, but we didn't have money to buy them (blog link- http://mozampaz.blogspot.com/2013/07/divas-play-basketball-too.html). When they played basketball, some of the girls wore a regular bra that was either too big or too small.

This year, I'm not only coaching 8th graders, but also the 9th graders who played as 8th graders last year. The majority of the 8th and 9th graders practice with a flimsy bikini top or nothing underneath their shirts.

Something as small as owning a sports bra can encourage these young women to play sports.  The fitting bras help the girls focus on the game instead of having to grab their chest for support while running and dribbling.  When playing basketball or any other sport, it's pivotal to have both hands free and the mind in the game.

My dad's friends, Dr. Stacey Nickson and Susie Manning felt touched when they read how most of the girls couldn't afford a good quality sports bra. They spread the word about how a group of girls in Mozambique needed sports undergarments.

Dr. Nickson contacted me and stated that she was collecting sports bras from colleagues and friends and asked me for their sizes. In April of this year, she informed me that she sent 30 brand new sport bras, enough for all 27 girls!

Last Wednesday, I finally received the package.  When I opened the box, I found 30  red, white, black, grey, pink, and blue sports bras and 20 basketball jerseys!  The girls and I were expecting to receive the sports bras, but it was such a pleasant surprise to get the jerseys as well.  They absolutely love them!

Here's Lolita reading the letter that Dr. Nickson sent with the package.  They were able to read how the generous donations came from many caring people in Alabama.

The girls who had the fewest absences during practices were able to chose their sports bras first.

Pink or black?  Decisions, decisions...

The girls posing with their sports bras

The girls are waiting to pick out their jerseys

Only half of the team showed up to practice the day I was handing out the sports bras and jerseys.  The other girls received their during the following practice.

Ofelia wearing her new white sports bra

Aurelia also posing with her white sports bra

The girls and I look like an official team now!

Here's Zirene shooting the ball.  She reported, "The sports bra is very comfortable and I'm able to run a lot more now."

Here are Sidoca,Ofelia, and Elisa (left to right) practicing the "three-man weave"

Again, words cannot express our gratitude.  Thanks to these fantastic people, the girls can run now with both hands free and their head in the game!  Special thanks to:

Dr. Stacey Nickson
Susie Manning
Dr. Brenda Casselberry and Cassandra Holliman and Staff of Auburn-Opelika Family Footcare
& the staff from the Biggio Center at Auburn




Muito obrigada a todos!  Thank you to everyone who made this possible!