Practice Makes Perfect...

Some photos from the Empowerment Soccer program and trainings.... Namuwongo and Gulu.

Experiencing Gulu...

Pre-Departure and Night One

Having heard some of the horror stories of the 20 year civil war between the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and government of Uganda, I left Kampala’s bus park curious and apprehensive. Curious, because I wanted to know more about what happened. Apprehensive because I was entering a former war zone where many of the residents are also victims. Writing this now, after having gone, I can’t quite remember what I was expecting to see, but I kept looking for clues of the warfare; bullet holes, broken buildings and the like. I wanted to know what happened first hand and I had questions:

What was life like during the violent times?

If life was really that bad, why didn’t the people just leave?

How did you make it through when so many others didn’t?

How has the recent peace changed the lives of the current residents?

On the way I found myself wondering what a passenger in route to Gulu might be thinking when times were bad. I surely would have known about the deadly bus ambushes taking place just south of the city; the only way in. I would also be aware of the fact that arriving at night would be putting my life in danger: the rebels that camouflaged themselves as civilians during the day donned their evil alter egos by night. If I had been away for some time I would also be wondering if my entire family was still living.

Thankfully, my journey was two years removed from the last of the violence and arriving some 5 hours past departure was more relieving than concerning, although we did so after dark. Even then I was free to walk the two blocks necessary where Margaret and I checked into a local guest house – something our fictional passenger of 5 years past would have had severe anxiety over.

Day One

Having slept the sleep of a travel wary fellow I laid down until the signs of a new day’s life became too present to ignore. The light filtered in through our small window, which also brought with it the heavy heat of sub-Saharan Africa. Less oppressive than the humid air off Lake Victoria in Kampala, the marked increased in temperature and perceptibly more powerful sunlight confirmed that which I had been told in advance.

After breakfast/lunch at the Obama Restaurant (he’s a big deal here), Margaret and I met with Sara, the captain of the Girls Kick It (GKI; check the GYPA website for details) team in Gulu, and followed here through town to meet Moses, the coach. A former national team player and coach of 30 years I found him to be one of the fittest 48 year old men I’ve ever met. Gracious, passionate, and committed to his cause, Moses is as a person everything you would hope to find in a coach, mentor, and friend.

Shortly after this introduction we (Margaret, Sara, Moses, and I) met Anna Phillips (the founder of GKI; check the GYPA website again for a short bio) at a locally run café run by an NGO that donates all their profits back into their organization. The food was amazing and cheap!




Later that night we went with Sara to her home and met her sister Hariet. At 28, Hariet has been raising her younger sisters (5 of them) on her own for just over 10 years because of the AIDS induced premature death of her parents. 3 of them, including herself, will finish University this year. To hear her story from her own mouth was an inspiration and something I wish everybody could have heard. Unfortunately, her story is too common.

After a full day and experiencing the welcoming nature of the Acholi people, Sara and her family to be specific, Margaret and I were led back to our guest house by Sara and a man named Lamex who’d played in the Homeless World Cup in South Africa in 2006 on a sponsorship from the GYPA.

Day Two

Waking up late in the day Margaret and I went to Kope Café, the same café we’d met in the day before for breakfast. Over African Tea (milk tea) and a steak sandwich we planned our interview questions for Sara. It was our plan to interview both Sara and Moses on this day to begin the documentation part of our project in Gulu. Though these opportunities would not present themselves today, we were still able to attend the first GKI practice of the new season. We were rewarded with a number of great photos and filmed footage for doing so.

That night, Sara, at the expressed interest of Margaret arranged for us to stay in a grass thatched hut in one of the villages just outside of town. When we arrived at the hut we were asked if we preferred to bath before the sleeping and we both chose to do so. With our bucket of water heated by the open kitchen fire we each took our turn washing ourselves by hand in the small, open roofed shower room just beyond the hut. With just three short walls, a wooden door, a bucket of warm water, some soap and our hands I suddenly became aware of the difficulty of good hygiene without running water.

Imagine the difficulty of washing your hands, brushing your teeth, showering, shaving, much less cooking when the water you gather comes from a pump up to half a mile away. Would you really be so motivated to wash your hands frequently? Would you really bother to brush your teeth as often? What about showering? Is that something you would do as often when the water used could be saved for something more important? Quite simply, the presence of running water – clean or not – is a major advantage to those who wish to reap the benefits of good hygiene.

Much of the same can be said about electricity, but I’ll leave you to ponder the implications of a permanent power outage on your own. I’ll give you one keyword to spark your though process: communication.

Day Three

Waking to the sounds of a waking village life was very similar to falling asleep to them in that they were very different sounds. Not in the sense that I hadn’t hear them before, many were quite normal, everyday sounds like people talking, babies crying and the like. The primary difference was proximity; secondarily, volume; thirdly, variety. When combined, these factors created a world for us independent of experience, but not of imagination. That is to say, the louder than average sounds of conversation, music, children, animals, etc. were all sounds that made sense when they appeared although they may not have been on a list of sounds I could have written to expect before hand.

Sara welcomed us back to the reality of our day with a sweet millet pourage breakfast. Tasty and filling I had two cups before we moved on. Next on the docket was a trip out of town to a hospital and then a tour of her sister Susan’s home. In her sister’s village is where we first began to hear stories of the LRA and the things they did. Things like cutting off the lips and ears, chopping off arms, legs, and shooting children, women and men alike. We were actually made the butt of a light hearted but enlightening joke. In essence, Margaret and I were a little squeamish at the prospect of killing a chicken to eat. At this someone remarked that we Mzungu’s (foreigners) are scared easily by the prospect of death, while the local Ugandan’s were hardened by the fact that they had seen so much. The underlying reality, and joke, though macabre, being that the death we were avoiding was that of a chicken while the deaths they had observed were human.

There were other stories. I will not write them here.

We arrived at a different guest house that night and slept very well.

Day Four

This was our last full day in Gulu. Sara had told us she was leaving for Kampala on this day, so the night before we said our goodbyes and took on the responsibility of traveling on our own. For us, this was a bit of a challenge since we hadn’t really had to worry about directions at all thus far. All in all, we did alright. Actually, if it weren’t for Margaret I’d probably be lost right now. For some reason I just couldn’t get oriented.

After eating we went to Moses’ home and interviewed him on the life in Gulu before and since the violence of the LRA and the efficacy of the GKI programming. His mother made us all lunch. He lives in a small house near his mothers as his wife and daughter passed away some years before. He is, as I mentioned before, a committed and caring mane. Given the resources, this man will accomplish great things.

We followed him to the local soccer stadium for a peace and reconciliation soccer match. Two games were played. The first, an abbreviated match between local prominent figures from both Gulu and neighboring Nebe ran around entertaining the crowd with their impressive, though largely futile efforts to control the ball and put it in the goal. I’ve never heard a crown laugh so much for so long!

The second game was the serious game and it showed. The players were younger, much more highly skilled and motivated to win. As with most players in their prime, athleticism was on display. Moses himself played as well and at 48 he was just as fast as any player on the field. Physically, this guy is about as in-human as I can imagine. Standing 5 feet 6 inches tall at best, none of the twenty-something players could beat him. Afterward he would say that he is still competitive not just because he makes a point of staying healthy, but because the younger guys don’t know the game as well as he does.

A thunder storm rolled in as we left the filled to capacity stadium and walked back to our guest house. We ate dinner and passed the time in conversation, waiting for the rain to subside. It did. We said our goodbyes to Moses for the time being and went to bed.

We were happy to have made such good connections to such caring and passionate people during our stay. We’ve now made great progress on all of our initiatives and are looking forward to implementing them when the times come.

Day Five and Traveling Back to Kampala

In short, we spent 6 hours on the road and one hour waiting for the bus to fill. The buses here, by the way, leave when full, not according to a scheduled departure time. We met a professor from San Fransisco who was working on an incredible project called Free to Play. Look it up. This project combats the contemporary human slavery market and has some ingenious and simple ways of working within individual communities. The man was inspired.

One of the most unexpected events of the day was that Sara, whom we though had left the day before, had decided not to leave then, but at the same time we did. She waltzed right onto the bust and after an excited exchange of hugs we all sat together for the ride back.

OH! I almost forgot, there is a stretch of road under construction between Kampala and Gulu that has over 140 speed bumps in a row. It took us 15 minutes of bouncing before we passed it. The idea is that by creating the speed bumps the construction crew is preventing the loose gravel from flying off the roadway and preventing any future patchwork. Different strokes for different folks. I definitely wouldn’t suggest this method to any road crews here in the states, no matter how much money it saves in traffic signs, cones, and flaggers. Whew!

What a journey! I’m really looking forward to going back.

Hope with Soccer

What do you look forward to in a day, week, month and year? I was introduced to the slums last monday, those of you who attended our presentations may remember some of the pictures of Namuwongo. Those were the same pictures I have seen and the only reference I had of the place. I knew the place would be a poor area, but being there was a whole new experience. What you see, hear and smell brings a whole new dimension to the pictures. There are only 3 water sources that run through 3 different zones. When you look at this you would not want to put a toe in the water, yet kids are playing and bathing in it all day. This is their source of drinking water; they fill up their canteens and carry them home on their head.

The slum is situated around an old train track built in 1991, it only ran for 1 year, in 1992 the service terminated. People would steal the metal off the tracks because they were desperate for cash making a running train dangerous. Garbage litters the area and is drenched in urination and defecation. Disease is a problem in this condensed living condition. I got sick the other day after eating some local food, I remained in bed with a churning stomach and throbbing head ache. I missed a meeting with Ocitti the head volunteer for the organization, we rescheduled for another day. When we finally met, he told me that getting sick is hard for me because I’m not use to the feeling, but the people here can handle it because they live with that feeling everyday! What a comparison!?!

The people here are excited to see Matt again, they recognize him right away and from the distant. This brings them hope and something to look forward to - soccer. After the initial greeting the first questions for Matt is, “will we have another soccer tournament?” When they hear the answer “yes” there is excitement in their voice and a twinkle in their eye and they express “good, we need this”. Soccer helps engage the youth and people of Namuwongo, it keeps them off the streets, away from drugs and abuse. It gives them something to do, they feel productive, important, and they receive some sort of education. These people fight for their lives everyday and soccer helps incorporate an element of fun to their daily life.

What do you look forward to? For them they hoped for a second tournament that they were unsure would be delivered. Now its here, let the games begin and for us to bring smiles to the faces in the slums.

~Margaret

Nike Honors FUNDaFIELD Founders

NikeUSRetail Community Relations created a partnership with the HandsOn Network to celebrate twenty young people who use volunteerism and sport as a tool for social change to celebrate Global Youth Service Day. The winners were identified after a month of outreach to local communities through the HandsOn Network and the NikeStores which were participating. Nike presented each winner a $150 Nike iD gift card and a $1,000 grant was made in their name to the organization of their choice.

Click here to read about Garrett and Kyle Weiss, Founders of FUNDaFIELD. Congratulatlons to you and to all the members of FUNDaFIELD !

FUNDaFIELD - A word about a wonderful sponsor.

Sport Court® To Ignite Social Change in Northern Uganda

Sport Court Teams Up With Global Youth Partnership, Street Soccer USA, When High School Students in Danville, California, raise funds to build soccer fields for Kids in Uganda

Gulu District, Northern Uganda February 27, 2009 -- The Global Youth Partnership for Africa (GYPA), a non-profit organization in the United States, with an office in Uganda, and Sport Court®, the industry leader in modular athletic flooring for over 35 years, have teamed up to bring the first Street Soccer Pitch to the Gulu District, a region that experienced more than 22 years of war, in Northern Uganda.

This venture was made possible by the efforts of FUNDaFIELD, a non-profit organization started by high-school students in Danville, California, that raised the money to build the two soccer fields in Uganda with GYPA.

GYPA is the organizer and manager of Uganda's Homeless World Cup team, which since 2006 has brought young homeless and displaced women and men to the international tournament in Cape Town, Copenhagen and Melbourne.

"Sports can bring social change and help create and enhance life in communities across Uganda. GYPA is thrilled to work with such a stellar group of public and private sector partners," said Jeremy M. Goldberg, GYPA Founder.

Anna Phillips, GYPA Program Coordinator in Uganda said, "The Street Soccer Pitch in Uganda will enable more training and new opportunity for GYPA's all-women's team who will represent Uganda at this year's Female Homeless World Cup in Milan, Italy." She continued, "It is our hope that the larger community, and world will realize the power of sports based solutions to social change."

The pitch will be shipped to Uganda the first week of March, and installation is set to be completed by May 2009. Following installation, try-outs and selection for Uganda's Women's Homeless World Cup team will take place, followed-by an official ceremonial tournament featuring members of FUNDaFIELD and Uganda's Homeless World Cup team Alumni.

Lawrence Cann, Founder and CEO of Street Soccer USA, said "We are pleased to be a sponsor for Uganda's street soccer programs that support the displaced and homeless of Northern Uganda. We recognize that our well being is interdependent, and congratulate our brothers and sisters in Uganda and in GYPA for all they have accomplished.

In addition, Africa Sports Outreach International is also donating jerseys and uniforms for the upcoming soccer tournaments that are slated to take place this summer in Uganda, following the construction of the soccer pitch.

Ron Cerny, President and CEO of Connor Sport Court International, said the company is proud of its continuing involvement in sports around the world.

"We have watched individuals and communities grow as the result of the installation of Sport Court surfaces. Just this past year we have installed new Sport Court facilities all over the world--on building roofs in New Delhi, in small towns in Haiti, in Malaysia, on South American beaches . . .we even installed 36 Sport Court surfaces in a single town in Romania. This is in addition to our leading position in sports surfaces here in the U. S. It is gratifying to watch the outpouring of community response wherever Sport Court is installed, whether it's for soccer, futsal, basketball or other sports," Cerny said. "We are happy to be a part of bringing sporting opportunities to people who would otherwise not have access to a safe, high performing playing surface."

The Global Youth Partnership for Africa was established in 2003, and founded by Jeremy M. Goldberg and Joseph Kaliisa-Bagambaki. GYPA aims to cultivate the skill-sets of youth who are changemakers in their community so they can improve health and wellness, economic opportunity and long-term, positive change in their country. GYPA programs encourage sport for social change, cultural exchange, peer-to-peer education, women's empowerment, entrepreneurialism and leadership. For more information visit: http://www.gypafrica.org/

About Connor Sport Court International

More athletic events are played on Connor Sport Court surfaces than on any other sports flooring in the world. Connor sports floors have established themselves as the standard for professional and collegiate sports since the company was founded in 1872. Sport Court® is a registered trade mark of Connor Sport Court International. Since 1974, it has identified the original and authentic modular sport surface, continuously improved and patented to provide the highest levels of quality and performance.

For more information visit: http://www.sportcourt.com/

Phone Jeff Morton, 801-712-6411

FUNDaFIELD is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organizations, run by kids, dedicated to enriching the lives of less fortunate youth in Africa through sports. Our goal is to provide soccer fields and equipment to African schools. For more information visit: http://www.fundafield.org/

Street Soccer USA

Street Soccer USA (SSUSA) utilizes soccer as a toolfor intervention, education, and empowerment among the homeless in the United States. Our purpose is to harness the power of sport to help the homeless "move off the sidelines of life" and into self-sufficient living. It is also our mission to engage the broader public in the issue of homelessness in new ways, humanizing the issue and changing negative attitudes, stigmas, and stereotypes about who the homeless are and what they need.

For more information: www.communityworks945.org/StreetSoccerUSA

About Africa Sports Outreach International, Founded by Paul Goodrich a former All-American soccer player and coach, is a non-profit organization that helps kids create a more positive image of themselves in their communities. ASO does this by facilitating sports equipment donations. For more information: www.asointernational.org

We Made It!

I was home with not enough time to settle, but to become familiarized. With the next skip and hop i am standing in front of the check in for Continental Airlines to begin my 28 hours of sitting, trying to sleep sitting and hauling luggage from one terminal to another. As you can see in the pics below we have successfully packed all of the wonderful donations. At check in we were asked if we were moving to Uganda due to our mass amount of luggage :) Matt and I flew Seattle-Newark-Amsterdam-Entebbe. Our driver Max picked us up at the Enttebbe airport and said "Welcome to Uganda, you are now swimming in a sea of black people."

We drove into Kampala in the dark. I can say that driving felt like an intense game of leap frog. And don't get caught leaping for too long or the on coming traffic well blast you then Game Over! I didn't know that people drive on the left side in Uganda. I continued to have a moment of panic when we would jerk to the left to avoid traffic because my initial reaction was OMG we are on the wrong side of the road!!

Max loved his music, he was jamming all the way to our hostel. Where he got into a tiff with the security guard at the Red Chilli Hostel. The security guard asked Max to turn down his music (Thriller, Michale Jackson) and Max reacted by turning is car around pointing now at the guard and turned up his beats. As Matt and I were placing our luggage into storage we watch our driver and the security guard get into a quarrel. The guard was now fining the driver and wouldn't open the gate for him till he paid. Max was having none of it and refused to pay. I know eventually Max got out, but I'm not sure which side won.

I woke up the next morning to a rain storm that rolled in with a couple claps of thunder then after 10-15 mins, poof gone. sun came out and everything was pleasant. A chicken came in during the Storm to take shelter on one of the dorm beds. I heard the day before the same chicken came and laid an egg on one of the beds.

I am amazed from the 2 days I have been here, I have not witnesses a signal person smoking cigarettes. hmmmm.... I know people do, but I can't believe i have not seen it. Makes my day more pleasant.

The people here wear vibrant colors, could be that it stands out tremendously from the contrast of their skin. It is beautiful here and greener then I though it would be. I saw the gigantic ugly vultures too, ewwwww.

Cheers to another adventure. Pics coming straight from Uganda will be posted soon! :)

Oh Firewire!

A girl like me is not savvy with electronics, so let me tell you I feel that I have learned a lot. Who would of thought uploading images from a camcorder to computer could be tricky. For a few days I spent hours trying to get digital imaging using a good 'ol USB cord. After spending 30 mins on hold with Panasonic, I am told I need to be using a Firewire Chord. First I learned that there is difference between Firewire and USB. I found and purchased a Firewire chord and was so excited to plug in only to find that the Female end didn't fit to either the computer or Camcorder. The male end fit perfectly on both sides, hmmmmmm, I went out to the stores again and discovered there is Ieee 1394 4 pin to 6 pin and Ieee 1394 4 pin to 4 pin. so I bought the wrong sized cable! Luckily I have heard there are adaptors, searched 2 stores then finally found the adaptor I wanted. This adaptor saved me $30. Also keep in mind there is a port especially made for firewire, DON'T try and jam it in the USB port you will break it. If you head is spinning then you know how I felt when I was trying to get all my ducks in a row simply over a silly firewire.

With all this aside, I have the pre-departure jitters. I am really excited to have all of the donations packed and now I only need to pack my own things.