The 2nd Football for Hope Centre opened with a lively ceremony in the direct vicinity to the Mathare Youth Sports Associaton (MYSA) headquarters. FIFA's Head of CSR Federico Addiechi and streetfootballworld Project Manager Jan Coetzee were joined by Peter Karanja, Executive Director of MYSA Academy, Titus Kasuve, Vice Chairman of Football Kenya Limited, Bob Munro, Managing Director of XXCEL Africa Ltd and Ferdinand Waititu, Member of Parliament, Embakasi Constituency to celebrate the latest milestone of 20 Centres for 2010, the Official Campaign of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™.
The event featured the internationally known Kenyan performance group Haba na Haba as well as an exhibition match by a mixed MYSA team that recently returned victorious from the Football for Hope Festival that took place in South Africa during the 2010 FIFA World Cup™.
FIFA Head of Corporate Social Responsibility, Federico Addiechi, heralded the opening of the centre. "This marks a new era not only for Kenya but for the African continent. FIFA made a commitment to the African continent to open these centres and today sees the realisation of that promise. This Centre is for the youth of Mathare. We certain that this place will be used to continue achieving positive change in this environment. I must say that there is no better deserving organisation to host this centre than MYSA, they have done a lot of good work for the Kenyan youth for the past two decades and we hope that this centre will further strengthen their work," Addiechi said.
20 Centres for the African continet
The Mathare Football for Hope Centre will be run by the Mathare Youth Sports Association (MYSA). This is the first centre to be opened outside South Africa. The inaugural centre was opened in Khayelitsha township, in the outskirts of Cape Town last year as part of the '20 Centres for 2010' campaign initiated before the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, a programme to build centres around Africa that will address some of the challenges faced by the continent, including education and public health. The Centre enables MYSA to integrate pre-existing programmes on environmental cleanups and HIV/Aids awareness and further develop their sport and community leadership projects.
streetfootballworld project manager Jan Coetzee said: "We are proud to be associated with this project and this initiative to change lives. After seeing the enthusiasm in our centre in Khayelitsha, I think we now see the value out of these centres."
A dream comes true
For Silas Lukale the opening of the Mathare Football for Hope Centre has greater significance. Born in poverty-stricken area of Kayole, just a stone’s throw away from Mathare, Lukale is hoping that the Centre will empower many others like him and help to improve their lives. Unemployment, crime, illiteracy, HIV/Aids and poor sanitation are just some of the many challenges facing the community in this area, where the average income is less than a dollar a day. "The reality is, when you come from here (Kayole), opportunities are very scarce. Sometimes there is a will, but without opportunities that doesn’t really help. I believe this will create such opportunities, it will inspire many people my age to start dreaming beyond their current circumstances. We are extremely excited about this centre and we are looking forward to visiting it on regular intervals," he said minutes after playing an exhibition match at the new astro-turf pitch at Mathare.
A powerful tool
Chairman of MYSA, Bob Munro, was upbeat about the possibilities that will be created by the Mathare Football for Hope Centre. "For the last 24 years, MYSA has provided hope to many young people. We believe that football is a powerful tool to communicate our message and that is where this centre will play a vital role." The programmes at the centre will include the training of young people, educating youngsters about the link between sport and the environment and aiming to reduce instances of disease by organizing clean-up groups in the slums.
The next centres are currently developed by streetfootballworld and FIFA in cooperation with local NGOs in disadvantaged communities in Namibia, Mali, Rwanda, Ghana, Lesotho, South Africa and other African countries and will address crucial issues like health, education, gender equality, peace-building and the environment as well as HIV and AIDS.
For more information about the Mathare Football for Hope Centre click here.
