AIDS has had a devastating effect on Africa. It has killed 15 million people across the continent in less than 30 years [1] and is the leading cause of death for people aged 15–49 [2]. 2012 figures showed that in Kenya alone 5.6 % of people aged 15–64 years were infected with HIV, equating to approximately 1,192,000 adults living with the disease [3]. Despite intervention from local, national, and international organizations, an estimated 104,137 Kenyans still became infected in 2011 [1, 4].

Young people remain a group significantly at risk of HIV/AIDS, with the 15–24 age group accounting for 41 % of all new infections across sub-Saharan Africa [5]. Young women are particularly vulnerable, as females aged 15–24 are over five times more likely to become infected with HIV than males of the same age [5]. With sexual contact remaining the primary driver of new HIV infections [6], the vulnerability of young people to the disease can be at least partly attributed to increased instances of risky sexual behavior, such as engaging in unprotected sex with multiple partners.

The AIDS pandemic is an unrelenting scourge on Kenya and threatens to reverse the socioeconomic gains made over recent decades. The disease is diverting scare resources to meet the needs of the infected and affected and, having taken a heavy toll on the young and most productive members of society, is negatively impacting national productivity. The infected and affected continue to suffer isolation, discrimination, and stigmatization. Countless Kenyan children have been orphaned by the disease; it was estimated that by 2010, Africa would be home to 20 million orphans as a result of HIV/AIDS [7, 8]. With a limited or lack of familial support, AIDS orphans are faced with numerous socioeconomic ills, such as child-led households and many being forced to drop out of school due to the costs involved or to care for younger siblings [9–11].

In impoverished areas of the country, the situation is especially bleak. Residents of low-income and slum areas are particularly susceptible to high-risk behaviors including sex work and intravenous drug use. According to a recent Kenyan study, asset poverty is significantly related to risky sexual outcomes, including early sexual debut and multiple sexual partners [12, 13]. Poor educational levels are also a key factor, as increased educational attainment has been shown to reduce risk of HIV infection [12, 13]. In response to this situation, interventions are being designed with a view to preventing the spread of HIV in Kenya.

Skillz Kenya, run by community-based-organization Vijana Amani Pamoja (VAP) —meaning “Peace Together Youth”—is one such program which capitalizes on the nation’s love for soccer in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Introduced to Kenya by the British, soccer is the country’s greatest player and spectator sport [14]. In the context of Skillz Kenya, the game is used to both mobilize and engage participants . Using the sport for development model, Skillz Kenya educates vulnerable youth on HIV/AIDS, teaching awareness and methods and life skills critical to prevention. Such an educational approach has been demonstrated to be effective in the fight against the disease [12, 13]. Pitches become classrooms as interactive discussions and group counselling sessions are complemented by soccer games and activities which demonstrate key messages. Skillz Kenya has been running in its current form since 2004. It is delivered in the Eastlands area of Nairobi, home to countless slums and impoverished neighborhoods, where VAP was founded and is still based.

Skillz Kenya’s long-term aims are strongly aligned with the Kenyan National AIDS Strategic Plan (KNASP) which aims to reduce the rate of new infections by 50 % by 2015 to ensure that the majority of Kenyans who are HIV Negative remain free of the disease. The organization’s ambition is for an HIV-free generation . On a short-term basis, the program practically aims to:

Skillz Kenya targets young people aged 11–20 years from the Eastlands district of Nairobi—a group at particularly high-risk of infection. The district, comprising countless slum and high-poverty areas, is hugely impoverished and receives limited support from major aid agencies and NGOs. Many families live on less than a dollar a day and HIV/AIDS is rampant; girls as young as ten prostitute themselves to buy basic necessities and cases of sexual and physical abuse are all too common. With high levels of unemployment and little economic opportunity, too many young people turn to drug and alcohol abuse and crime.

By providing HIV/AIDS prevention education activities in a soccer-inspired, team-based environment, VAP aims to alleviate health and social issues for vulnerable young people growing up in Eastlands and help them to become responsible citizens of Kenya.

In 2003, VAP was originally established as a soccer club to help nurture and develop the sporting talents of boys in Majengo slum in the east of Nairobi. Recognizing the potential to use soccer to create awareness of HIV/AIDS and generate change at the grass roots level, the club was setup by the organization’s current Executive Director after seeing first-hand both the huge popularity of the sport and the devastating consequences HIV/AIDS had dealt to the local community.

With the support of Grassroot Soccer (www.​grassrootsoccer.​org), a major organization which mobilizes the global soccer community in the fight against AIDS, VAP developed its Skillz Kenya HIV-prevention curriculum. The program incorporates interactive and informative discussions, soccer games, and activities and group counselling sessions.

In 2007, VAP started to receive a small amount of funding as a result of a partnership with GlobalGiving, an online fundraising platform which connects donors from around the world with different types of international organizations and slowly scaled-up its work. But it wasn’t until 2008 that VAP secured its first funding partner and the Streetfootballworld network—which is supported by Adidas and FIFA amongst others—came on board. This was a major turning point for the organization. There was a fivefold increase in Skillz Kenya interventions as over 1000 beneficiaries were reached, peer educators were employed and program delivery was strengthened as staff training was invested in.

Today, VAP employs 6 permanent staff and 20 peer educators who deliver the Skillz Kenya program in over 20 schools and community centers across the Eastlands area of Nairobi each year. Using the same sport for development model, VAP has established two additional youth programs addressing female empowerment and corruption in Kenya.