1Syndicate of Coaches Accreditation (1SOCA) in partnership with, Rozaria Memorial Trust (RMT), is set to host a soccer tournament next month as a campaign against drug abuse and gender based violence (GBV).
The tournament will run from April 2 to the 5 at Juru in Bhora Township under the theme, Say No to Drugs and Substance Abuse, Say No to Gender Based Violence.
1SOCA is a body of 16 affiliated football academies and it strives on giving children from the rural areas and their coaches the opportunity to access football training and football coaching training. According to 1SOCA principal director, Makesure Taurai Kamuchacha, as an organization they observed and noticed the rampant use of drugs by teenagers and a rise in gender based violence cases in Zimbabwe.
“We observed that most kids are growing up in divided families which then affects them emotionally hence kids indulge in drug abuse. Adding on, if a male child grows in a family where there is an absent father he then grows resentment within and this is driving cases of GBV higher,”
“In most cases kids do not have significant role models in their immediate environment, which makes them vulnerable to different types of pressure that can lead them into drug and substance addiction. As a result of these cases, we saw it fit to host a tournament which will bring together different football teams and academies to compete for medals while spreading the word that drug and substance abuse and GBV is not fit for a society,” he said.
Teams that will participate at the tournament include Mukamugo, Blue stars, Young Dreamers, Musiwa pirates juniors, Juru Hotspurs, Chemz, Sporting Eagles, Macheke academy, Durlstone Academy, Goromonzi High, COSA, Supersport. Each tearn will bring different and preferred age groups from U13 to U19.
Each team will pay an affiliation fee of USD20 which will be used by the association to purchase medals and prizes for the winning teams.
Zimbabwe is currently battling rising numbers of drug abuse by the teenagers and recently Zimbabwe police launched a crackdown against drug abuse, smuggling and trafficking which health authorities say is rising and seriously wrecking the lives of the country’s youth population.
The Zimbabwe authorities did not publish any figures ahead of the crackdown launched in the capital Harare on February 3.But drug rehabilitation centres are full, and unable to cope with rising demand to accommodate new patients hence the importance of campaigning against drug abuse.
