KIDS FOR AFRICA SPORTS ACADEMY

SPORTS | HEALTH | EDUCATION

Our Story.

Kids For Africa Sports Academy (KFA) was founded in 2009 by Asimwe Marvin and Atuyambe Raymond in the local community of Masajja B zone-Busabala, about 6km away from Kampala the capital of Uganda.

Before its founding, Marvin and Raymond had witnessed many of their peers driven to drug addiction and who had failed to complete any formal education due to the effects of poverty. Just as other ghettos, slums and minority urban neighborhoods, crime, substance abuse, obesity and academic failure was prevalent.

Vacationing in 2009, Marvin developed an idea and the purpose of creating direction for the young children who had little productive time in the community. As a youth soccer player in these same areas, he discovered that group sports fostered individual talent, cooperation, a sense of equality, improved health, transformation and helped to develop self- confidence.

Therefore KFA Sports Academy was legally established October 2015 as a non-profit. On February 2nd, 2018, the government of Uganda recognized the work of Kids for Africa and was legally permitted to operate as a charity organization under the National Bureau for NGO’s.

Our Story.

Kids For Africa Sports Academy (KFA) was founded in 2009 by Asimwe Marvin and Atuyambe Raymond in the local community of Masajja B zone-Busabala, about 6km away from Kampala the capital of Uganda.

Before its founding, Marvin and Raymond had witnessed many of their peers driven to drug addiction and who had failed to complete any formal education due to the effects of poverty. Just as other ghettos, slums and minority urban neighborhoods, crime, substance abuse, obesity and academic failure was prevalent.

Vacationing in 2009, Marvin developed an idea and the purpose of creating direction for the young children who had little productive time in the community. As a youth soccer player in these same areas, he discovered that group sports fostered individual talent, cooperation, a sense of equality, improved health, transformation and helped to develop self- confidence.

Therefore KFA Sports Academy was legally established October 2015 as a non-profit. On February 2nd, 2018, the government of Uganda recognized the work of Kids for Africa and was legally permitted to operate as a charity organization under the National Bureau for NGO’s.

OUR MISSION

Our mission is “To empower and transform the lives of Uganda’s vulnerable children and youth through using the power of sports”.

This is because right from the start, children and youth in our communities have been at the core of work and our ultimate objective is to provide hope, promote healthy living, ensure education for all and create awareness in making informed choices about their lives.

Therefore Kids for Africa is using sports; predominantly soccer, netball and athletics as a vehicle to engage, educate and empower girls and boys in poverty-stricken communities of Uganda.

OUR MISSION

Our mission is “To empower and transform the lives of Uganda’s vulnerable children and youth through using the power of sports”.

This is because right from the start, children and youth in our communities have been at the core of work and our ultimate objective is to provide hope, promote healthy living, ensure education for all and create awareness in making informed choices about their lives.

Therefore Kids for Africa is using sports; predominantly soccer, netball and athletics as a vehicle to engage, educate and empower girls and boys in poverty-stricken communities of Uganda.

OUR VISION

We envision building strong communities in Uganda by creating opportunities and expanding capabilities of vulnerable children by participating in sports that will help improve their physical, proactive and social well-being.

OUR CORE VALUES

We have 4 core values that guide our work.

1. 1. 1. Integrity
    2. Transparency
    3. Cultural sensitivity
    4. Compassion

OUR VISION

We envision building strong communities in Uganda by creating opportunities and expanding capabilities of vulnerable children by participating in sports that will help improve their physical, proactive and social well-being.

OUR CORE VALUES

We have 4 core values that guide our work.

1. 1. Integrity
  2. Transparency
  3. Cultural sensitivity
  4. Compassion

OUR OBJECTIVES

To promote healthy life skills, awareness and fun for Ugandan children and youth through sports.
To develop the skills and talents of Ugandan children and youth giving them hope.
To transform the lives of Ugandan children and youth through sports and education.
To empower Ugandan children and youth in making better decisions in diminishing drug abuse and theft.
To empower poor and vulnerable members of society in making informed choices about their legal rights and responsibilities.
To act as a champion for Ugandan children and youth through empowerment and advocacy.
To carry out research in areas of sports and education and to better identify appropriate approaches and strategies.
To encourage and empower the growth of talent in Ugandan children and youth.

OUR OBJECTIVES

To promote healthy life skills, awareness and fun for Ugandan children and youth through sports.
To develop the skills and talents of Ugandan children and youth giving them hope.
To transform the lives of Ugandan children and youth through sports and education.
To empower Ugandan children and youth in making better decisions in diminishing drug abuse and theft.
To empower poor and vulnerable members of society in making informed choices about their legal rights and responsibilities.
To act as a champion for Ugandan children and youth through empowerment and advocacy.
To carry out research in areas of sports and education and to better identify appropriate approaches and strategies.
To encourage and empower the growth of talent in Ugandan children and youth.

OUR WORK

The Soccer Project

We believe that the power of sports in a child’s life can make a lasting impact. Our trained staff teaches the game of soccer to many groups of children each year, but more importantly we work at shaping the person inside the player. Soccer as a game does not only provide a basis for physical fitness and healthy living, but it captures the interest of people of all ages around the world. It is this unique ability to engage people and bring them together that makes sport the perfect catalyst for development. Our collective work shows that soccer can transcend the barriers of gender, nationality and ethnicity, and address issues such as gang violence, drug abuse and lack of education and poor health practices. We have seen the potential of soccer in action, and now we want to see the intrinsic values of the game – teamwork, inclusion, respect – embedded into the core of the industry.

Therefore, our work includes:

One annual KFA championship tournament. (GOLD CUP)
Soccer gear to keep our children fully participating in the program
Cultural exposure through travel opportunities
Community development through participatory community work
Professional soccer training and skills development
Character development and mindset training through training and development classes

The Girls Nation

In Uganda, girls face unique challenges as they strive to achieve their dreams. Kids for Africa Sports Academy is proud to offer creative and empowering programming to help bring those dreams within reach. In Uganda, girls between the ages of 14 – 16 drop out of sports twice as often as boys. This mostly happens because of lack of access, safety, transportation issues, costs and lack of positive role models in the community.

However we believe that participation in sports and physical activity positively impacts their physical and mental health, and reduces the probability of young girls engaging in risky behaviors such as unsafe sexual activities and drug use. Therefore, implementing the girls netball programs among our communities reflects our responsibility to demonstrate to girls that it is socially acceptable to participate in sports; it can give girls the skills and confidence to break down barriers of gender issues, promote gender equality and demonstrates the possibility of achieving goals throughout their lives.

Therefore, our work includes:

A hygiene kit to ensure that each girl can attend classes and train for netball during their monthly cycles. This kit includes five sanitary pads, one large bar of soap, body Vaseline, one playing uniform and one storage bag.
Educational guidance and counseling services
Netball programs, tournaments and trainings
Cultural exposure through travel opportunities

The Education Project

Education is a lifeline to children in emerging countries, especially in Uganda, a nation in which two thirds of the population does not complete secondary education. KFA Sports Academy is committed to investing in the education of Ugandan children in their most vulnerable state.

According to the UN Sustainable Development Goals; Goal # 4 advocates to ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning. Obtaining quality education is the foundation to improving people’s lives and creating sustainable development. Basic literacy skills have improved tremendously, yet bolder efforts need to be extended to vulnerable communities in Uganda. Therefore through sports, we are committed to extend greater assistance in giving a hand to children from less privileged families in obtaining access to quality education.

Therefore, our work includes:

Annual education grants to support our children in schools
Primary, secondary and university scholarships
Study tours across Uganda to expose children to the world beyond their village
Holiday packages for student candidates
Computer literacy and training

The Dream Camp

This project is aimed to transform lives of children living in Internally Displaced Camps (IDPC) in Kapokoros, Bukwo district through the promotion of athletics and education.

The town of Bukwo is approximately 183 km by road, northeast of Mbale, the nearest largest city. The district was created on 1 July, 2005 out of Kongasis County. Before then, Bukwo District was part of Kapchorwa District. Many of the district’s roads are inaccessible or impassable and there was a widespread lack of electricity and telecommunication services throughout the district. However most of the people from the northern part of the district have been internally displaced after the declaration of Mt Elgon as a National park.

Since then, they have yet to settle back to their original land. Some of these people opted to purchase land from areas that appeared secure, while others who could not afford to purchase new land, instead continue to exist as squatters on well-wishers’ land.

The Teriet Ndorobos were the high altitude dwellers of Mt. Elgon forest. These people used to rear cattle and sheep, practiced poultry, beekeeping, did some basketry and agriculture until 1932 when the forest was declared a forest reserve and National park by the Uganda Wildlife Authority.

According to David Chemonges, the chairman of the IDP camp explains that;

“On February 24th 1999, we were attacked by combined forces of the Uganda People’s Defense Force, Uganda Wildlife Authority and National Park Rangers.

We were attacked without notification by heavily armed people who were putting on army uniforms, they attacked our homes, destroyed crops, gardens, placed our houses on fire and killed some of our relatives”.

This was unlawful because the people they attacked were innocent, unarmed and only peasants who had taken time asking the government to find them a new home. The method and manner in which the eviction was made was harsh, barbaric, harsh and violated many human rights. The impact of the eviction left many people without homes and over 300 families suffering in the middle of the wildness.

Kids for Africa is reaching out to respond to the education needs of the children living in this camp. A total of 80 children between 4 -16 years of age have been identified living in this camp. All school materials have been donated free of charge to enable them complete their education including; shoes, books, pens, clothes and even school lunches.

We feel that athletics as a sport would encourage these children obtain an education and help to empower and create opportunity. Soccer is an incredibly popular sport in Uganda and it’s the only way to restore hope within this suffering community.

Our work consists of:

Athletics training and modelling
Education assistance for the children
Hygiene kits for the girls.
Provision of basic social needs for the children

OUR WORK

The Soccer Project

We believe that the power of sports in a child’s life can make a lasting impact. Our trained staff teaches the game of soccer to many groups of children each year, but more importantly we work at shaping the person inside the player. Soccer as a game does not only provide a basis for physical fitness and healthy living, but it captures the interest of people of all ages around the world. It is this unique ability to engage people and bring them together that makes sport the perfect catalyst for development. Our collective work shows that soccer can transcend the barriers of gender, nationality and ethnicity, and address issues such as gang violence, drug abuse and lack of education and poor health practices. We have seen the potential of soccer in action, and now we want to see the intrinsic values of the game – teamwork, inclusion, respect – embedded into the core of the industry.

Therefore, our work includes:

One annual KFA championship tournament. (GOLD CUP)
Soccer gear to keep our children fully participating in the program
Cultural exposure through travel opportunities
Community development through participatory community work
Professional soccer training and skills development
Character development and mindset training through training and development classes

The Girls Nation

In Uganda, girls face unique challenges as they strive to achieve their dreams. Kids for Africa Sports Academy is proud to offer creative and empowering programming to help bring those dreams within reach. In Uganda, girls between the ages of 14 – 16 drop out of sports twice as often as boys. This mostly happens because of lack of access, safety, transportation issues, costs and lack of positive role models in the community.

However we believe that participation in sports and physical activity positively impacts their physical and mental health, and reduces the probability of young girls engaging in risky behaviors such as unsafe sexual activities and drug use. Therefore, implementing the girls netball programs among our communities reflects our responsibility to demonstrate to girls that it is socially acceptable to participate in sports; it can give girls the skills and confidence to break down barriers of gender issues, promote gender equality and demonstrates the possibility of achieving goals throughout their lives.

Therefore, our work includes:

A hygiene kit to ensure that each girl can attend classes and train for netball during their monthly cycles. This kit includes five sanitary pads, one large bar of soap, body Vaseline, one playing uniform and one storage bag.
Educational guidance and counseling services
Netball programs, tournaments and trainings
Cultural exposure through travel opportunities

The Education Project

Education is a lifeline to children in emerging countries, especially in Uganda, a nation in which two thirds of the population does not complete secondary education. KFA Sports Academy is committed to investing in the education of Ugandan children in their most vulnerable state.

According to the UN Sustainable Development Goals; Goal # 4 advocates to ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning. Obtaining quality education is the foundation to improving people’s lives and creating sustainable development. Basic literacy skills have improved tremendously, yet bolder efforts need to be extended to vulnerable communities in Uganda. Therefore through sports, we are committed to extend greater assistance in giving a hand to children from less privileged families in obtaining access to quality education.

Therefore, our work includes:

Annual education grants to support our children in schools
Primary, secondary and university scholarships
Study tours across Uganda to expose children to the world beyond their village
Holiday packages for student candidates
Computer literacy and training

The Dream Camp