Test Your Team

Last weekend, we headed east to the Kingdom of Lesotho, for both business and pleasure. Lesotho is an “island country,” entirely encompassed within South Africa, known for its beautiful mountains and Seanna Marenas (traditional blankets). Of the hundreds of shepherds I saw all through the countryside, every one was wearing some form of this beautifully patterned thick wool blanket, regardless of the fact that it was scorching hot. It took less than two hours to get to the border from Bloem, and the moment I crossed, I realized that Lesotho was the most uniquely beautiful and untouched place I’d ever been. We drove straight down to Mohale’s Hoek, which is a tiny city/village in the southeastern edge of the country – a small and impoverished region. We arrived after dark at the Mafeteng Hotel, and quickly realized that our accommodations were not exactly up to par. In fact, the Lonely Planet describes the hotel as: “lacking something – security and the ‘it’ factor.” We’re clearly on a volunteer’s budget, and I’m up for an adventure, but needless to say, I didn’t mind getting out of there at the crack of dawn the next morning.

We went to Lesotho “on business,” to assist with a tournament/testing event called “Test Your Team,” organized by Kick 4 Life (Lesotho’s branch of Grassroot Soccer). Kick 4 Life uses soccer to promote health among children, and they use the GRS curriculum for their HIV/AIDS program. The event was co-sponsored by Grassroot Soccer, Kick 4 Life, the Clinton Foundation HIV/AIDS Initiative, Baylor Medical Centre, and the Lesotho’s government’s “Know Your Status” campaign, and was widely promoted through southern Lesotho.

The event incorporated a day-long soccer tournament, GRS activities, and on-site testing and counseling; throughout the day, students from fifteen high schools rotated between these activities. At the site of the tournament, there were 20 testing and counseling “tents” staffed with nurses and counselors. Our role as GRS trainers was to “adopt” a team, run GRS activities, and escort them to the testing site. Each school participated in Find the Ball and HIV Attacks, which deliver key messages about knowing your status, and how even an HIV-positive person can live a healthy life. In Find The Ball, we highlight the only way to know one’s status is to get tested (in particular, you cannot tell by looking), and directs students to testing sites (doctor’s office, clinics, hospitals, voluntary testing and counseling centers). Conveniently, we could simply direct students to the on-site testing center.

HIV Attacks explains how the immune system protects the body, how HIV attacks the immune system, and how ARVs (anti- retrovirals) attack HIV, thereby allowing the immune system to function properly. The game involves four participants, labeled Human, Immune System, HIV, and ARVs, each trying to dodge a ball (representing germs and diseases). The game allows kids to see how each system works, and demonstrates that even if they test positive, there are still ways to live a long and healthy life. Very simple, yet very effective concepts.

Right after we delivered the activities, we accompanied students to the “testing site,” which was only several meters away. The testing dimension was voluntary, of course, and there were several hesitant students. They asked me simple questions – like if they had to test, and if it would hurt – which were incredibly hard to answer. It’s not easy to tell a group of kids to get tested when it’s likely that they might test positive, but part of my job is getting them to understand that it’s better to know your status, regardless of what it may be.

Toward the end of the day, I ran “debrief sessions” with several kids. Basically, I approached groups of kids and asked them questions about the day: if they had fun, what they learned, if they had decided to get tested. It was great to hear that they had learned new information from the GRS games, and even better to hear that many had chosen to get tested. I sat down with a group of three smart and outspoken boys, who were eager to share their experience with me. All three told me they’d gotten tested, and I asked them how they felt before and after. They told me that beforehand, they talked to each other about being scared and not knowing how they would react if they tested positive. They then revealed their status to me: they were all negative. They told me that once they found out their results, they were all incredibly relieved and happy to know they were still healthy. One boy said he planned to go back in six months.

Listening to these kids made me realize how important this event was, and I am incredibly eager to bring the concept back to Bloemfontein. Of the hundreds of kids who participated in the tournament, 490 got tested that day. Unfortunately, out of those, 23 tested positive. I am not sure what happens next with them, but each one of those students played the GRS games, and hopefully the lessons we taught them will help them deal with their new reality.

Side note: Simply adding to the incredible experience of the day was the arrival of a very special guest. As I was in the middle of delivering HIV Attacks, a helicopter appeared from behind a mountain, and landed on the field next to me. Seconds later, Prince Harry emerged. Apparently, he has taken interest in Lesotho, and was in Mohale’s Hoek to visit an orphanage that he had “adopted.” The Prince (who is much taller in person) took a tour of the event, and participated in Find the Ball. His visit was brief, and he was back on board within a couple of hours, but it was fairly exciting to get such a major public figure involved in a GRS activity (despite the fact that he’s my age).