Mathare is just another slum in the equatorial hinterlands of Nairobi. It boasts of a population of 500,000. The slum, like every other slum in the vicinity, suffers from the twin problems of poverty and unemployment, which in term breeds violence, AIDS and prostitution.
So, when a slum like that boasts of a Football team comprising of young and charismatic lads, striving to change their destiny, it sure does bring a ray of hope to even the most forlorn soul. Football in Mathare is synonymous with hope, development and emancipation. Thanks to Mathare Youth Sports Association (MYSA) that was founded in 1987 and has given 20,000 young people a new lease of life: linking sports with environmental cleanups, AIDS prevention, leadership training and other community based programmes.
It has left no stone unturned in training the young people of the slums to become responsible citizens and develop healthy body and spirit – a feat they achieve everyday.
Until recently, the only thing that posed a challenge to this feisty group from carrying on this commendable feat was the darkness. The Sun sets quicker on the equator and as darkness descents, it brings with it the anti-social elements – a problem that stopped the youth from practicing at night.
They had to play under the scorching Sun everyday, until hope came in the form of the solar lighting system – a gift from China’s Yingli Green Energy Holding Company to MYSA. Now they play till late into the night on the gleaming grounds of the Mathare Stadium.
“During the day, the sun is too direct but at night it is (now) easy to see the ball without straining,” said 16-years-old Edwin Ivusa enthusiastically, a Kenya under-17 international.
This change has brought a smile on every player’s lips and reflects in the heightened participation of teams that want to use the pitch for training in the evenings.
Stephen Muchoki, manager of Mathare Football for Hope, expects the newly flood-lit pitch to attract more players and also to be rented out for events to raise funds for the association. The stadium is also privileged to be the third such sports facility in Kenya with a floodlighting system, the other two are in Nairobi – Nyavo National Stadium and Moi International Sports Centre.
Though the floodlights on Mathare Stadium shine bright, they are no match for the twinkle in the eyes of the youth of Mathare.
Via: AFP
