The Mathare Youth Sports Association (MYSA) is proud to present its first ever strategy. As

one of the most famous sport and development projects in the world, most people will be

amazed to discover that the organisation’s successful journey has not, until now, been

supported by a strategic plan. In fact, more than anything, this testifies to the effectiveness

of the MYSA model and the dedication of the staff and volunteers who have thrown their

heart and soul into running the activities that make such a difference to the lives of young

people in the Mathare slums.

However, in 2009 it became clear that the organisation had reached the point whereby,

without investment in the strategy, management and organisational structures, it would

struggle to effectively manage, grow, or further develop its outreach programmes in the

future. Therefore, in November 2009, with the support of Comic Relief, the organisation

undertook a strategic workshop with the aim of creating a clear business plan and strategy

for growth; of renewing organisational and governance structures; and of clearly

articulating to the outside world what MYSA is about and how it intends to grow.

Prior to the workshop, MYSA carried out a consultation in all its 16 zones, not only to

familiarise MYSA members, staff and volunteers with the process, but also to question

them about their thoughts and ideas for the future direction of the organisation. Much of

MYSA’s strength lies in the fact that it is a genuinely community driven organisation and

therefore it was vital to make the strategic process as open, inclusive and all-engaging as

possible.

Why is it called the Mathare Youth Sports Association?

We call ourselves the Mathare Youth Sports Association because all our young members and youth

leaders are from families living in the Mathare valley and neighbouring slums. We purposely chose

that name because one of our goals was to change the bad and unfair reputation of Mathare........