Tumelo Meets U.S. Soccer Stars
Tumelo (left), a Grade 10 learner, was thrilled to meet U.S. soccer star, Jozy Altidore (right), in Soweto yesterday. The youth participated with a sports clinic organized by the U.S. Consulate’s Public Affairs Office to introduce the American athletes to young people benefiting from U.S. Government assistance to address South Africa’s AIDS Epidemic.
Age 18, Tumelo is part of the USAID supported HOPE worldwide project, funded by President Bush’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), to assist orphans and other vulnerable children and their families with treatment, prevention and care. Tumelo said, “My uncle has HIV and he lives with us, so we deal with it every day of our lives. AIDS is a pandemic that affects our whole country and there’s no cure; we must avoid getting it. Abstinence is the best way to prevent it…stay away from the fire and you won’t get burned.”
Tumelo wants to be an advocate (lawyer) when he grows up. Eight months ago, he joined Hope worldwide’s after-school kids’ clubs where he receives homework coaching, a nutritious meal and opportunities for healthy recreational activities. Soccer is his favorite sport, “I’m very excited to meet American athletes who are about to play Bafana-Bafana. They should be resting, but they took the time to meet us.”
American soccer champion, Jozy Altidore, also age 18, looked forward to his first visit to South Africa and appreciated learning that Johannesburg’s nickname is “Jozi”. He wrote on his New York Times website blog (http://goal.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/11/10/jozy-altidore-south-africa-here-i-come/), “I know the game next Saturday is for the Nelson Mandela Cup and who can forget Nelson Mandela. He’s a very strong person who has done a lot, which also makes it a great thing to be part of for me.”
Youth from other Soweto U.S. Government-assisted projects—HIVSA (Perinatal HIV/AIDS Research Unit) and Soul Buddyz—joined the soccer clinic, friendly match and cheering spectators watching the South African teenagers play ball with American soccer stars.
