Drama, Dance, Music, & Sport for Kisumu Youth

2017 is already looking like a year of breakthroughs. In the past few months, three youth who have played all the way from our youth soccer teams to our adult team, have been selected and honored to play at the highest levels of soccer competition in Kenya. First, we are proud to announce that one of those youth players, Abubu, has been asked to represent Kenya on the Under-21 national team. Abubu has been playing for Manyatta United since the teams were created in 2009. This team will give Abubu international playing experience and also get him more exposure and chances of getting signed by professional teams.

Another young player we would like to honor is Tobias. Tobias was asked to play for the Kenyan Premier League team Sony Sugar FC. Tobias always carries a smile on and off the field, and it is his pure love for playing soccer that has driven him to never stop working and on to success.

Finally, we are so proud of our player Sidney O, who was signed by Kenya Premier League defending champions, Tusker FC. Sydney has played for every level of team we offer, from U-14, through to our adult semi-professional team before he was brought up to play in the Kenya Super League and finally the Premier league. Sidney was one of the driving forces behind creating a youth soccer team back in 2009. Equip Manyatta Co-Chair Meghan identified Sidney and his younger brother, Austin, as having considerable talent and, if developed, having potential to be great players. Meghan understood that great players are not made overnight. These youths needed consistent training and opportunities to compete at high levels and this training had to start young and last into their early adulthood. Meghan formed the Manyatta United’s first team, an under-14 team that had kids as young as 9 years old playing. A large percentage of these founding players continue to play for MYRC teams or have been asked to play at higher-level teams.

Our aim is to be able to provide a consistent program that nurtures talent. We look forward to seeing more and more of our youth grow beyond our own organization and do great things on their own. We are proud that these players have been able to use our organization as a stepping-stone to finding opportunities at the highest levels of competition offered in Kenya. Playing at these levels opens doors for youth to be discovered by international teams as well. These successes are just the beginning for these players.

We are also excited to welcome six interns who have traveled all the way from Norway to do internships at our youth center through an organization called Cardiff Kenya. They will be conducting research and working with our management board and youth until April. This is a great opportunity for our members and interns to benefit through this cultural exchange.

As the new year begins, the pressure that families face finding school fees persists. This year we have several youth who are gaining sponsorship financially from donors or through scholarships related to athletics, but more youth are constantly searching for fees. Please help these students stay in school. As much as we want to provide consistent support within our programs, keeping our youth in school consistently is equally important.

We thank you, our supporters, for making these successes possible. With your help, the lives of young people in the Manyatta slums of Kisumu, are greatly enhanced!