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.