“Camp I Am” School Holiday Program showcase finale

While the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ has provided endless sporting excitement over the last month, it has also afforded South African students a month-long holiday – with most parents and caregivers unable to take extended leave. As a result, the South African Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS (SABCOHA) has organized and implemented a learning program for children aged six to thirteen in five under-resourced communities across the country. These programs have provided learners with a safe, educational, and fun-filled environment providing activities focused on life skills and HIV/ AIDS education. Since the start of the FIFA World Cup™ in June, these programs have reached almost 1,500 children collectively.

The Camp I Am School Holiday Program also saw some of South Africa’s premier youth organizations come together to deliver a daily activity program that included academics, athletics, creativity, and social and life skills education, including HIV/AIDS prevention. In partnership with SABCOHA; Soul City, loveLife, Dance4Life, PlaySoccer, and Operation HOPE, they have helped provide activities for an exciting program of problem-solving games, team building, youth-oriented activities, sports, dance, special events, and celebrations.

In the Western Cape, Camp I Am Mitchell’s Plein held their final celebration this Friday, July 9, 2010 at Spine Road High School. Having occupied this site for the past nineteen days, the finale provided a showcase of what these 300 children have learned and experienced during the South African Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS (SABCOHA) 2010 holiday program.

The School Holiday Program is funded by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) with additional support from SABCOHA members, BMW, Sasol, Xstrata Alloys, Mercedes Benz, Unilever, Dow, and Edcon.

Cape Town Tourism CEO, Mariette du-Toit Helmbold concluded: “This has been an excellent opportunity for our younger citizens to garner knowledge on one of the biggest issues facing their generation today, while having fun at the same time. SABCOHA and their partners initiated a great project, which aimed to keep children off the streets for the duration of their extended holiday, and we at Cape Town Tourism are pleased to see this resource used effectively. We hope to work with organizations on more initiatives like this in the future as we play our part in building the country and contributing toward social development.”