YDF in Kenya: A focus on networking and institutional support
The Republic of Kenya, with its capital Nairobi, is
situated in the east of Africa. The country serves as a hub for East and
Central Africa, comprising 8 provinces which are subdivided into 69
districts. The country is well known for its long sandy beaches and game
reserves. Tourism is a primary pillar of Kenya's economy and its
largest foreign-exchange earner. Despite the affluence of the tourism
industry and some residential areas, however, Kenya is a low-income
country. It still faces severe food deficits after a recent extended
period of drought - this despite the fact that the Highlands comprise
one of the most successful regions of agricultural production in Africa.
Food prices are high, access to clean water is difficult and
malnutrition is a problem - particularly among vulnerable groups in
rural areas. Only a few kilometres north-west of Nairobi, the Mathare
River divides one of the richest areas from the Mathare slums, where an
estimated 500,000 people live without water, electricity, toilets and
refuse collection. Here, diseases which include AIDS, substance abuse
and crime mould everyday life.
YDF and streetfootballworld: a fruitful cooperation
It was against this backdrop that Kenya became the tenth
African partner country of the Youth Development through Football
project in 2010. The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale
Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) has commissioned streetfootballworld with the
implementation of the YDF country programme. The social-profit
organisation links relevant actors in the field of development through
football. In Kenya these are the Kenya Community Sports Foundation
(Kesofo), the Mathare Youth Sports Association (MYSA), Moving the
Goalposts Kilifi (MGK), the Society Empowerment Project (SEP) and Vijana
Amani Pamoja (VAP). Some of these NGOs have already cooperated with
GIZ.
Kenya's "big five" networking partners
All five organisations are members of the
streetfootballworld network and focus on developing the youth, mainly
through sport. Three of them are also members of the NIKE Sport for
Social Change Network (SSCN), which is supported by YDF. The
establishment of strong networks for youth-development-through-sport
initiatives is one of YDF's priorities. The project fosters Africa-wide
networking approaches for the purpose of joining forces and exchanging
experiences.
The Kenya Community Sports Foundation aims to
promote social cohesion among disadvantaged youths and adults in both
urban and rural settings. It positively engages the youth in activities
that reduce vulnerability to violence and HIV/AIDS. Kesofo's overall
goal is to empower young people, raise self-esteem and discuss issues of
disaffection among participants.
The Mathare Youth Sports
Association started in 1987 as a small self-help youth project, and
pioneered the linking of sports with activities relating to social
improvement and community development. MYSA organises a wide range of
sports and community-development activities. Any youth in the Mathare
and neighbouring slums can join a local team or project. Today, over
15,000 youths participate in these different programmes.
Moving
the Goalposts started with a sports and development project in 2001.
This community organisation focuses on empowering girls and young women
and tackles gender disparities. Within eight years, the number of
players has grown from around 120 to over 3,000. The most recent project
component is an economic-empowerment project.
The Society
Empowerment Project was founded in 2004 by a group of volunteers "to
give back to their communities". The focus of SEP's
youth-development-through-football approach is on HIV/AIDS prevention
and on improving the livelihood of its participants through agricultural
training.
The HIV-prevention programme Vijana Amani Pamoja was
launched in 2002. It is run by volunteers and also uses the power of
soccer to fight HIV and AIDS. To attain its objective, VAP educates
young footballers on hygiene and HIV/AIDS-related issues and trains them
to be healthy and active.
Further increase in effectiveness through institutional support
Streetfootballworld will use GIZ's support to develop
the programmes of the five networking partners, strengthen human
resources and organise events. The cooperation kicked off with a
presentation of streetfootballworld's programmes and a subsequent
fund-raising workshop on 4 May 2010. The five non-governmental
organisations welcomed the networking opportunities and intend to work
closely together on future projects. The YDF project is complementary to
activities of the GIZ Kenya Health Sector Programme, which supports
selected girls' football and other sports activities aimed at changing
attitudes and behaviour concerning aspects of sexual and reproductive
health, HIV/AIDS and gender-based violence prevention.