By Dara Ely | Director of Communications
It’s been a busy few months for Soccer Without Borders Uganda, with both our football and educational programs up and running safely in-person. Our participants and coaches are thrilled to be together again on a regular basis. Here are some updates on both daily ongoings and special events.
Girls In the Game
On the heels of the Global Goal 5 Accelerator, SWB continues to create athletic opportunities for girls and we’re proud that nearly half of our program participants are girls. Our Kampala Girls League is in full swing with more than 200 girls, Under-15 and Under-17, from Kampala and its suburbs participating. This season’s league includes 14 teams split into two divisions, creating opportunities for beginners to compete with each other.
In the Classroom
Students have returned to the classroom at our Refugee Youth Center in Nsambya where we debuted our newly developed English Literacy Curriculum starting in February. There are eight classes that each meet four days a week for an accelerated curriculum to hone their English language and literacy skills. Additionally, 30 of our most advanced students are participating in a debate tournament aimed at improving their public speaking skills, creativity, and social confidence.
Coach Jerry to Participate in UEFA Conference
In early June, Jeremiah (Jerry) Lukeka, Senior Program Coordinator, will represent Soccer Without Borders at the UEFA Future Leaders in Football Conference. Jerry was one of just 20 youth coaches chosen from a global pool of candidates. The conference is focused on developing coaching skills to tackle challenges in sport and society and has been shifted to a virtual model due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Jerry is focused on building connections with the European football community, building skills for creating sustainable programs, and getting girls and women into sports.
“This will be a big inspiration and motivation to the group of coaches and kids we work with,” said Jerry. “From zero to hero! In my leadership, I always like to inspire people so I feel like this is a great opportunity to inspire the coaches we work with and the kids. They’re going to be very excited and motivated.”
Bondeko Gala
We hosted our first-ever Bodenko (Brotherhood) Gala in March, bringing together 25 teams of Under-8 boys and girls for a tournament. The tournament gave our younger community members the chance to play competitive games and be in the spotlight. Over 300 refugee and Ugandan youth came together, uniting boys and girls from across Kampala. Congratulations to our winners — Zebras Academy (boys) and Aztecs (girls). We plan to host another community tournament for the Under-10 age group in the coming months.
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