Location: QwaQwa, Free State, South Africa

Centre Host: loveLife

Status: Currently in design development phase

Sept. 27, 2010: Two new Football for Hope Centres announced

QwaQwa lies 350 km from the provincial capital of Bloemfontein, nestled in the junction of the Ukhahlamba-Drakensberg and Maluti mountain ranges. Although it is equidistant from Johannesburg, Bloemfontein and Durban and is known as a hub for people travelling between those three major cities, QwaQwa itself is economically isolated. Noted for its high poverty, high HIV infection rate and low education levels, QwaQwa has over 10% of the population of Free State in just 0.5% of its 655 km².

QwaQwa is crazy about football. It is home to the Premier Soccer League team the Free State Stars and, with the construction of the QwaQwa Football for Hope Centre–a loveLife Y-Centre (Youth Centre), the local population will be able to experience first-hand many more reasons to love the beautiful game.

loveLife is a South African non-governmental organisation run by South Africans for South Africans. The country’s largest national HIV prevention initiative for young people, loveLife combines a sustained high-powered campaign with nationwide community-level outreach and support programmes to promote healthy, HIV-free living among South African teenagers. loveLife aims to achieve its vision of an HIV-free generation by reducing young people’s tolerance of risk and building their sense of immediate and real possibility for personal growth.

The organisation’s programmes are implemented by a national youth volunteer service corps known as groundBREAKERs in partnership with community-based NGOs. There are 8 groundBREAKERs located in QwaQwa, as well as 10 goGogetters, grandmothers who are committed to preventing HIV infection among orphaned and vulnerable children. With the construction of the Football For Hope Centre, loveLife will expand its outreach to isolated and rural communities of QwaQwa.

Launched in 1999, loveLife is funded primarily by the South African government.

The programme at the QwaQwa Football for Hope Centre will engage, motivate, and educate young people to build and develop positive attitudes with respect to healthy sexuality and HIV prevention. Through life skills, performing arts and sports programmes, loveLife will provide a safe space that will help young people to be healthy, wealthy and ready to make informed decisions.

Maluti-a-Phofung Municipality
Free State Department of Health
Free State Department of Social Development
Free State Department of Sports and Recreation

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