Network members in East Africa will come together in Kigali, Rwanda, on October 3-5 for a network member meeting and forum in East Africa with a focus on the use of football as a tool to foster peace by engaging young people at risk of violence.

The event is a key element of the strategic plan recently developed by the East African streetfootballworld network members in a joint process and will bring together members from across the region to meet and present their work to a wider audience. The first ever streetfootballworld East African Forum will be hosted by streetfootballworld and network member Espérance and will partly take place in the Kimisagara Football for Hope Centre, which will be officially opened on the day before the first meeting.

The network member meeting will focus on knowledge sharing and capacity building sessions among the participating organisations as well as the planning of joint initiatives. In addition, a workshop for young leaders will be held by Espérance in parallel to the meeting, where young community coaches from each of the participating organisations will receive training in the football3 methodology. In East Africa, Espérance is the leading organisation in the use of football3, a methodology that promotes peace and fair play by engaging young people in roles of responsibility on and off the pitch.

Forum on Development through Football in East Africa
The third and final day will be dedicated to raising awareness among partners, potential network members, the press and interested individuals about the power of football as a tool for peace and development. Invited parties will include representatives from government, the civil society sector, the media, international donors and others. Over the course of the day, the network will present its achievements and offer participants the opportunity to learn more about the impact Development through Football is making in East Africa.

Here you can read and download the programme of the East Africa Forum 2012: