Uganda Youth Soccer Academy

Thanks to Soccer Post, Chesterfield United Football Club and many of the parents of children playing for the club, Henry Kalungi left yesterday with several duffle bags full of uniforms, cleats, soccer balls and other soccer gear. Unfortunately the high cost of paying for a checked bag ($200 US for just one 50 pound bag) makes it cost prohibitive to take more stuff to give to children in need. Upward Sports, inc. donated 50 new soccer balls and we did a fund raiser and sold specially made t-shirts (see picture beside post) to help pay for taking the soccer balls. One of the things we are looking into is creating a business and non-profit business to help generate money to help off set the cost of getting donated items shipped overseas. More on that to come...

If you would like one of our Africa HOPE soccer t-shirts, send me an email at davidglass2@comcast.net. Shirts are $20. Keep checking the soccer acadmies web site (link below). Henry should be updating picture very soon. You may even see one of the items you donated or our Africa HOPE soccer t-shirts in a photo.

http://www.uysocceracademy.com/

More Gear Needed for Uganda

Sarah and I had an amazing trip to Kenya and we're already brainstorming for new ideas to be able to provide soccer balls and other gear on a regular basis to the programs there. One of our good friends, Henry Kalungi, who plays here in Richmond for the Kickers is from Uganda and will be going home in early October to play for the National Team for a few months. Henry and his brother Ivan started an orphanage there to rescue children and youth that have no mother or father due to HIV/AIDS or some other disease leaving the children on the streets to fend for themselves. They are doing wonderful work and they have started a soccer academy to give the children something to do and to provide another way to teach “life lessons”. To help support their efforts we will be sending some of the cleats, shorts, socks, uniforms, etc. that we were not able to take with us on our last trip. We’ll continue to collect balls and gear for other trips later in the year, but right now those children need the gear, so we’re going to help Henry fill a couple of tubs or duffle bags to take with him. If you have anything to donate please let us know and we’ll forward it on to Henry.
Here’s a link to their website: www.uysocceracademy.com 

Back in the USA

We made it to Pittsburgh , PA yesterday; however, our baggage did not. After a couple of hours working our way through customs, filing our lost luggage claim and then talking to the airlines and the rental car company, we dedicided it was best to rent a car and drive to Washington, DC. By 9:30 pm last night we were beginning to encounter heavy rain and the wind was picking up so we decided to get a room in Frederick, MD and let the eye of Irene pass by to the east of us. We are now back up at 6:00 am and so ready to be home with our family.
We'll update the blog again later today with thoughts about our trip.

Travel Schedule

This will be quick to update our travel schedule: We are currently in Paris at 3:25 am home (9:25 Paris time Saturday morning) we are rebooked on a flight to Pittsburgh to avoid Irene. We arrive in Pittsb. around 2 pm and then will figure out if we can catch a flight to or need to rent a car. God willing, we do plan to be home tonigth (Sat.). David and Sarah

In Nakuru

We are now safely in Nakuru, Kenya’s fourth largest city. We met early this morning to finalize a few details about our “next steps” and then began the seven hour journey from Migori to Nakuru. Tomorrow morning bright and early we’ll be off to a safari drive; hoping to see 4 of Africa’s big 5: lion, leopard, Cape buffalo, rhinoceros. The African elephant is the fifth; however, they are not in this game park. Later in the afternoon we’ll start out for Nairobi. Our flight leaves tomorrow night at 10:30 pm Kenyan time, which is 3:30 pm east coast time. We’ll be connecting through Paris and then it’s on to Dulles, hopefully ahead of Hurricane Irene.

We’ve had a great time in Kenya and have met so many wonderful and warm people.  We’re looking forward to getting back home and connecting with as many soccer clubs as we can to get old uniforms and cleats donated for teams here in Kenya. Currently we have 6 teams in the 8-14 age and 6 teams in the 14 and above age group. They will be training and arranging matches with each other with the dream of having a big tournament next June.  Additionally, our aim is to provide the opportunity for the youngest Kenyan children to get a chance to touch a soccer ball and begin to develop the coordination and skills necessary for building a strong soccer foundation. These children are often pushed aside as the older boys get to play with the only real soccer ball. We’ve posted a picture of a boy and one such ball.

You may be wondering if there’s anything else that you can do to help out in some way. I’d like to encourage you to consider going to the Start With One Kenya website and make a donation for a water filter. There are many problems here but lack of clean water is one of the biggest causes of sickness and disease. You would not believe the dirty water that people are using for drinking water. The missionary that we are here with, Bill Coble, is dedicated to providing a water filter to every family in Kenya. www.startwithonekenya.org

Thanks for following our blog…now it’s back to watching the movie, Out of Africa.

Tuesday In Kenya

We had a great day today. This morning we went to two primary schools in Migori, Kenya. We met with several teachers in each school and then had a chance to address the students in 4 classrooms. Interestingly, this month is holiday so regular school is not in session; but many students are paying extra to be in school for the month to learn more!
In the afternoon we visited another school in Kaponga and then went and visited a United Methodist Rural Health Clinic. This community health center provides services to women in child birth for only $3 which is  much cheaper than area clinics and hospitals and is saving lives. In addition, the provide other health services such as important testing for disease as well as caring for women and children that are HIV/Aids positive.
Later in the afternoon we went to a soccer match at a school in Kaponga. This particular school along with the local United Methodist Church has embraced the Upward Soccer concept. They have hundreds of children eager to participate!
Tomorrow we have a 3 hour drive to a location near Lake Victoria to visit with another community that will be incorporating the soccer program.

What an amazing day!

We met with over 30 church leaders and youth from six different parishes and outlined the Upward Soccer program. It was immediately apparent that these are committed Christians and they were very impressed with the vision for Upward in Kenya and eager to get started. Their initial plan is to start an Upward program in six areas and then look to replicate the model all over Kenya. They have fantastic athletic ability and great passion for soccer; they just lack the resources and tools to get things organized.

After the training we went with local church leaders in Migori to a school where a group of 10-12 year old boys were playing. It was a joy to see them play and to compare them to our children who are the same age. You definitely see a difference in the style of how the play. Also, the surface of the field was red clay and rock with a little patch of grass on one sideline. Some of the boys had no shoes at all, others wore sandals  and a few had on very old cleats with big holes in the toes or somewhere else. We did not hand out the Chesterfield United FC jerseys, shorts and cleats we brought because initially we thought we were to watch older youth in their late teens or early twenties play and we have predominately youth sizes.  At half time of their game Sarah and I both were asked to say a few words to the boys and we told them we brought well wishes from everyone in America and that we were very impressed with their play and that we looked forward to helping them get uniforms, cleats and soccer balls for training. These boys are going to be so happy to get the uniforms and gear that you donated!

In addition to soccer, Sarah met a wonderful woman named Mary that teaches several different grades at the local school and tomorrow we’ll get to stop by and visit with her classes. Sarah is hoping to connect these children to her class at Ecoff.  We also met a man who is a pastor and a teacher and we are going to visit him and his students as well.

Thank you for your prayers and for donating so much soccer gear.  We only wish that you experience the joy of the Kenyan people.