Location: Iringa, Tanzania

Centre Host: Iringa Development of Youth, Disabled, and Children Care (IDYDC)

Status: In design

Sep. 25, 2011: Football for Hope Centres number 13 and 14 announced

The space designated for the centre is located just outside the town of Iringa in the highlands of central Tanzania, approximately 500km from Dar es Salaam. Among the challenges facing the region is its high HIV/AIDS prevalence rate, a high school drop-out rate and substance abuse. The centre will provide a hub of community activity in an area severely lacking in basic services and opportunities for youth employment.

IDYDC is a community-based NGO which has reached 50,000 young people since being established in 1991. Based in the town of Iringa, IDYDC implements projects throughout the Iringa district, with a particular focus on health promotion and children’s rights. IDYDC aims to reach out to street children, orphans and young people with a history of drug and alcohol abuse, and uses football as a key instrument to bring about social change.

Alongside the football programmes, IDYDC offers vocational training courses, counseling services and microfinancing programmes to local communities. Their efforts have been acknowledged as exemplary within the region, and numerous other organisations have followed a similar path in recent years.

The centre’s primary mission is to improve the living conditions of young people through the provision of education and health services. Using football as a tool through which to address key social issues, the centre will host activities including HIV/AIDS training, family planning sessions, alcohol and drugs prevention programmes, microfinance workshops and sports tournaments.

The centre will also function as a focal point for debate, with forums and gatherings to be held in order to engage community members on topics such as gender-based knowledge and changes in traditional attitudes.

Mr. Johnnie Nkoma
Executive Director, IDYDC
Tel: +255-(0)784-622224
e-mail: idydc42@hotmail.com

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