February 2011 promises to be a busy month for several network members across Africa, as construction begins on three more Football for Hope Centres.
The 2010 FIFA World Cup South AfricaTM may be a fading memory but ‘20 Centres for 2010’, the official campaign of the FIFA World Cup, continues to gather speed with four of the centres, which combine education, public health and football, already open in South Africa, Namibia, Kenya and Mali.
Construction is about to start in Ghana, Lesotho and Rwanda
This month construction work begins in Ghana, Lesotho and Rwanda with streetfootballworld network members Play Soccer Ghana, Kick4Life and Espérance, each of whom will receive an artificial turf football pitch and buildings for education and health facilities designed to allow the Centre Host to deliver their programmes more effectively.
Although the basic ingredients are the same, each centre is designed in partnership with local architects to ensure that they are unique to their community. Every centre has its own character – and its own unique challenges.
Oguaa Football for Hope Centre – technology meets tradition
One of the most innovative designs yet seen will begin in Ghana, where the Oguaa Football for Hope Centre in Cape Coast will feature a series of shipping containers wrapped in an intricately woven bamboo ‘skin’ – a popular local building technique – and a large tree that will form a natural shaded meeting point in the centre’s main courtyard. The centre will provide the ideal base for Play Soccer Ghana to deliver its programme of education and life-skills training, together with a community media centre that is part of their strategic plans for the centre.
Lesotho Football for Hope Centre – fast progress in Maseru city centre
The fastest journey so far from selection to start of construction happened in Lesotho, where this month work begins on the Lesotho Football for Hope Centre in the capital Maseru. A large reason for this was because local network member Kick4Life managed to secure a prime site in the centre of the city from the local police force to build the centre, which will allow them to deliver their HIV/Aids education programmes to many more vulnerable children.
Kick4Life have also led the way in engaging their local community, inviting local young people to help design and build the seating structures around the centre’s football pitch and securing additional funding from Standard Bank Lesotho to build additional office space next to the Football for Hope Centre.
Kimisagara Football for Hope Centre – community involvement at its best
In Rwanda, streetfootballworld network member Espérance faced many challenges as the land they identified was in the grounds of a local school and adjacent to a wetland area. The Kimisagara Football for Hope Centre will be a huge success story when it opens, having successfully negotiated construction around the wetlands and having involved young people from the local school in deciding how the facility will be constructed.
Espérance have also benefitted from networking with the other Football for Hope Centre Hosts, which has led to them prioritising the inclusion of women in their conflict resolution and reconciliation.
Written by Mike Geddes
