Harare — THE Zimbabwean team for the 2008 Homeless World Cup soccer tournament in Melbourne, Australia, in December has been adopted by seven Australian schools under the AdoptaTeam Programme.

The AdoptaTeam Programme is the brainchild of Melbourne schools who are getting involved in the 2008 Homeless World Cup by adopting teams from some of the African nations who will be taking part in this year's competition, providing fundraising, friendship and assistance to enable the teams to compete in this life-changing international soccer tournament.

Through the Education Foundation's ruMAD? (Are you making a difference?) programme and street magazine The Big Issue, primary and secondary school students in Melbourne are encouraged to learn about their adopted nation and break down misconceptions and prejudices surrounding homelessness in Australia and overseas.

One aspect of the programme is to raise money to help with the cost of living expenses for their nominated team to attend the Melbourne 2008 Homeless World Cup, to be held at Federation Square and Birrarung Marr from December 17.

And the Zimbabwean team for this year's tournament is set to benefit from this programme during their stay in Melbourne after seven schools from the Australian city - Chalcot Lodge Primary School, Doveton Heights Primary School, Doveton North Primary School, Eumemmerring Primary School, Eumemmerring Secondary College, James Cook Primary School and Sebastopol - College came together and volunteered to adopt them.

Participating schools will be invited to meet their team and watch them play during the tournament.

They will witness first-hand the positive power of sport, generate support for the Homeless World Cup and help create a lasting legacy for the event.

At this year's Homeless World Cup, which unites over 48 nations, Zimbabwe will be joined by 14 other African countries - Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Uganda and Zambia.

The Homeless World Cup is a world-class, annual international event which uses the positive power of soccer to energise people who are homeless to change their own lives while increasing awareness of the issues of homelessness and poverty worldwide.

"The Homeless World Cup seems to capture the imagination of most students, and we have had particular success with engaging the hard to reach kids who seem excited about the event and the role they can play in it," the AdoptaTeam project coordinator, Melissa Razuki, recently told the tournament's official website.

"We have students from all over the state busily preparing for their team's arrival.

"Some are writing soccer chants and making banners, others are preparing welcome packs and food parcels for the players' rooms, and some are writing to our city's attractions asking for tickets so the visitors make the most of their time off.

"To raise funds for their teams, schools have been conducting street soccer tournaments, hosting cake

stalls and casual clothes days, even enjoying African feasts."

The AdoptaTeam programme aims to speak to over 30 000 young Australians and the wider community about the power of sport to improve the lives of individuals and its ability to aid integration and acceptance of homeless and marginalised people.

The programme also aims to create real and lasting change in young people's participation in the community and promote community values in young people.

Players in The Big Issue's street soccer programme - who are potentials for the Australian national Homeless World Cup team - visit schools to talk about their experiences with homelessness and share their stories with the students.

"The stories from the street soccer players are real and genuine," Razuki said.

"The children are always visibly moved by what they hear and it helps ignite a social conscience in them."

Students are also encouraged to be involved in the Melbourne 2008 Homeless World Cup in various ways, including:

• Weekly training with street soccer programmes.

• Donating kit to their team.

• Arranging their own street soccer tournament with the school or against other schools.

• Contacting their team's local community and telling them about the Homeless World Cup.

• Volunteering to help at the national street soccer championships.

• Attending the ruMAD? Youth Conference.

And the Zimbabweans for this year's Homeless World Cup is set to enjoy all these benefits during their stay in Melbourne for the tournament.

At this year's tournament Down Under, Zimbabwe will be represented by eight underprivileged boys from Harare's high-density suburb of Hatcliffe -- Vincent Chawanda, Farai Mukwira, Simbarashe Saidi, Kingswell Lunga, Kudakwashe Matika, Samson Gondokondo, Solomon Shandiringa and Dragan Shuva.

They were picked for this year's Homeless World Cup by the Young Achievement Sport for Development, a community-based organisation that uses the power of football for HIV and Aids education among the youths, creating awareness of child abuse and other child protection-related issues.

The Young Achievement Sport for Development, which are under the stewardship of Tawanda Karasa and Petros Chatiza, is currently working in disadvantaged areas like Hatcliffe Extension and the surrounding farms.

The Zimbabwean team for the Melbourne tournament last Wednesday received a timely morale booster when the Zimbabwe Olympic Committee gave them a full kit sponsorship for the competition.

The kit included uniforms and 10 training bibs and 10 soccer balls that they will use during their preparations for the tournament and in Melbourne.