The Life Skill Programme is divided into three themes: Self-discovery, Awareness and Leadership.

Under each theme, different topics will be discussed. An introduction to each topic is approached through various activities during the football training, which is held before the life-skill session. This aims to contextualise the topic better for the children and to give them a ‘hands on’ approach to the theme. In developing these life-skill messages AMANDLA has worked closely together with some of the childcare facilities to consider the special needs and challenges for children growing up through the residential childcare system. AMANDLA rolls out three to four sessions per week reaching out to all childcare facilities participating in AMANDLA programmes. In 2009 we reached out to over 1000 children from residential childcare facilities such as orphanages, children’s homes, street shelters, places of safety and drug rehabilitation programmes in the Western Cape, South Africa.

In addition to this AMANDLA holds three workshops for the coaches (child and youth care workers who work on a daily basis with the children), each one dealing with one of the life-skill themes. These workshops give coaches the tools to apply the life-skill messages in every football session, independently of AMANDLA staff being present.

To evaluate the impact of this programme, AMANDLA developed a set of questionnaires for participating children. After each session the young people have to answer three questions related to the theme discussed. This will give an indication of the immediate impact of the programme and how best it can be adapted to meet the needs of the specific group. In order to evaluate the long term impact, all young people who participated in the programme will fill yearly evaluation questionnaire based on the activities in which they have participated throughout the previous year.