|  | Member's News | No.53 May 2008 |
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Sports in Conflict Zones of Uganda Photo Shows Trevor Dudley with Joseph Lokot, Goalie (Left) and Daniel Chegem (right) Personal stories of these boys Joseph Joseph is aged 15 and is a half orphan. His father took him out of school in 2005 as he thought there was no value in school. One day raiders attacked him and his father whilst tending cattle. His father was killed and they lost all their cattle. Joseph escaped into the bush. He was then left with his mother. He moved to town and sold newspapers to earn pennies. TKL urged him to go back to school and play sports. His personal hygiene has improved through TKL information. He is fitter and stronger and is now a popular member of the football team. He is determined to finish school and now for the first time in his life, has ambition to become a bank manager. Daniel Daniel is aged 14 and is a half orphan. His mother died 2 years ago and as the eldest child, Daniel had to take charge of looking after his 2 brothers and 3 sisters. He collected firewood and sold this for pennies so he could buy the dregs from local beer brewers to feed the family. One day Daniel was herding their cows with a friend when warriors raided. They killed his friend and took the cattle. Daniel’s father was not supportive of him going to school and Daniel took to the streets to sell newspapers and hawk foodstuffs to support the family. TKL found him on the streets and encouraged him to go to school. He now plays in TKL, has made many friends and has become much healthier. His ambition - to become a driver for UNICEF. |
The Kids League (TKL) Uganda has been using sports to help 30,000 boys and girls improve their lives in the conflict zones of Northern Uganda. The innovations and good practices that have been developed are examined by TKL Programme Manager, Emma Ntwatwa Life in the conflict zone of Karamoja in the remote North East of Uganda is not easy. Karamoja is a barren area on the borders with Kenya. The dry climate means that pastoralist tribes like the Karamajong and Pokot graze their cattle over huge areas. This has led to bitter conflict over the last 400 years between the nine different tribes within the region as they seek to find and defend water sources. In the past the tribes used spears, bows and arrows, but in the chaotic 1970 and 80’s when Idi Amin was in power, thousands of sub machine guns found their way into Karamoja to repel marauding tribes from Kenya. Since then the rule of law has been the gun in Karamoja and as a consequence, the whole area has suffered. There has been little investment in any infrastructure in schools, hospitals and roads. School attendance rates are as low as 20% in some areas. The Kids League (TKL) ventured into this area in 2007 where no one else would go. TKL use sports as a tool to bring communities together and improve children’s lives through health and education messages. Through this innovation, kids are being given some hope and school attendance rates are now rising. Moroto Municipality Primary School is one such school. The head teacher, Emma Louma is pleased to be part of the TKL Programme. “Our Children are more energized and motivated to be part of the TKL Programme. They and their parents are now more positive towards education and our school.” In March 2008, the school became the centre of attention in Moroto town when TKL presented them with Nottingham Forest uniforms donated by a Schools Association in Nottingham. The under 15 team proudly took to the Main Moroto sports field, which boasts more rocks than blades of grass, to play a game against the TKL team. A large crowd, joined by the National Sports Commissioner for Uganda, Mr Dan Tamwesigire and representatives from the National Council of Sports assembled at the field before kick off. UNICEF Denmark, who is supporting the TKL programme, was also on hand to film the impact of TKL programmes for Danish audiences. The bright yellow and green kit was proudly worn. All the players however were barefooted and they have never seen football boots in their life. All over the world games of football entertain. In Uganda, TKL has observed that football can be used like a magnet to attract up to 10,000 people to watch such games. It is by using sport as a social tool that TKL convey health and educational messages. In the middle of a competitive game the playing field is a much more conducive atmosphere for both parents and children to absorb memorable and positive life skills messages. The message chain today was: “Go to school; enjoy playing sports; make friends with your neighbour; get an education; get a qualification; get a job; earn some money; and buy a cow.” In other programmes across Uganda TKL concentrate on promoting awareness messages about HIV/AIDS, measles, malaria and general good health. The programme will also convey messages about the environment, in particular, deforestation and recycling. The school, proudly elated by their new Nottingham uniforms, went on to win the game 3-1 and it was time for the TKL Country Director, Trevor Dudley, to explain where Nottingham was. A dusty and well worn atlas was produced and Nottingham was found, an inch north of London, by a confident 15 year old girl while the whole class of 120 students crowded around. Now for a history lesson. “Ok, who has heard of Robin Hood?” Blank and confused faces all around. “Ok, who has heard of Nottingham Forest?” Three hands immediately shot up, “They were champions of Europe in the last Century…..” There were immediate murmurs of respect, admiration and pride from the rest of the school as the understanding sank in that European Champions had recognised THEIR school. In the middle of nowhere this amply demonstrated the power of sports – and provided a history and geography lesson!! Robin Hood may not mean anything to the kids of Karamoja, but football penetrates deeply. Trevor Dudley was born in the UK but has lived in Africa for over 25 years. He worked as a construction consultant in Kenya and Tanzania and moved to Uganda in 1988. Shortly after arriving, Trevor observed that schools in Uganda were coming under strong pressure to improve academic results and were excluding sports. He set up a voluntary association, the Kampala Kids League (KKL) to help children improve their lives through sport. Now, ten years on, the programmes have been lauded for breaking barriers down and bringing children together from different social and tribal backgrounds and giving opportunities for ex-child soldiers and traumatised children to integrate back into society through sport. In 2003 Trevor was awarded an Ashoka Fellowship for creating significant social change in Uganda. He then set up a non profit organisation, The Kids League (TKL) to help children at the grassroots level around Uganda. Over 30,000 boys and girls have been involved in these UNICEF supported programmes helped by over 2,000 trained community volunteers in eleven different conflict and post-conflict districts of Northern Uganda. “We are always looking for innovations to overcome challenges. Each year we need 5,000 footballs, basketballs etc and truckloads of uniforms and sports equipment. Donors such as Nike are happy to support us but high import duties on sports equipment in Uganda mean that we cannot afford to receive them in Uganda. So we had to work out how to overcome this.” This has stimulated the creation of Kit4Kidz, an innovative income-generating programme to manufacture sports equipment locally and in conjunction with the Ministry of Education and Sports, to distribute sports packs to schools. “Donors and supporters will see that this will solve 3 separate challenges at the same time. Supply the necessary sports equipment; develop local skills and provide employment; and generate income for future development.” TKL are also actively involved in helping more girls get involved in sport. Over the last three years the number of girls participating in TKL programmes has risen from 20% to 34 %. TKL are aiming to raise that figure to 50%. The biggest challenge is parental sensitization as many parents do not see any benefit in their girls playing sports. Trevor is hopeful that “That can be overcome with sensitization of parents and showing them that girls can improve their lives through sport and going to school.” However, girls face bigger challenges. TKL discovered that girls drop out of school and don’t play sports because of lack of adequate sanitary protection. Those girls that do go to school miss over 30 days a year due to menstruation. TKL are trying to overcome this challenge through innovation to provide ownership and pride in the programme. They have linked with a professor at the local university to help develop low-cost, locally produced sanitary protection using papyrus as the absorbent material that grows in abundance in Uganda. “This provides a low cost product to change the lives of thousands of women and girls in Uganda, encourage girls to go to school and take part in sports and in addition provides employment and income for grass roots communities who would collect and process the raw material,” says Trevor. TKL are looking for help in providing the seed capital to get these projects underway. The future for Africa is in developing sustainable income generating programmes not in blanket aid, which often is eaten by corruption. More sets of uniforms and equipment are desperately needed by TKL to use in overcoming the challenges facing thousands of children in Uganda. Trevor, who was awarded an MBE from the Queen in 2008 for Services to Children’s sport and Health Education in Uganda appeals for much more international help to support these programmes. Trevor concludes, ” Make people proud of their achievements. Give a fisherman a boat, not fish.“ You can check out more about KKL and TKL on their website at www.kidsleaguefoundation.org or contact Trevor Dudley directly at thekidsleague@yahoo.co.uk The Kids League has established a Registered Charity in the UK through which donations can be channeled. Contact Trevor Dudley Country Director, The Kids League, PO Box 8392 Kampala, Uganda Tel +256 414 234650 Mob +256 772 415193 www.kidsleaguefoundation.org http://www.icsspe.org/portal/index.php?w=1&z=5 Sports in Conflict Zones of Uganda