Sinkumunchis: Soccer schools in the Andes

www.sinkumunchis.org

Founded in 2021, Sinkumunchis is a nonprofit organization that develops soccer schools in remote, Quechua-speaking farmer communities in Perú. We provide access to sports and physical education to kids and young adults who lack it due to economic, geographic, and cultural reasons.

Sinkumunchis, meaning “We roll together” in the native Quechua language, aims to be the first soccer school to incorporate the Quechua language and culture as a central element in its syllabus.

There are 2.7 million people in Perú who live in Quechua-speaking farmer communities. Yet, they are underrepresented politically and receive little to no support from federal, state, and local governments on critical matters such as education, health, and economic development.

You can read more about Sinkumunchis’ core offerings and areas of work below:

Ongoing soccer training on a consistent schedule is Sinkumunchis’ core offering. We provide 2-3 training sessions to groups of different age categories: U6, U8, U10, U12, U14, and U18, both boys and girls.

Most kids and young adults in farmer communities lack access to proper training equipment. Sinkumunchis helps provide uniforms, shin guards, and cleats for the kids to shine on game day.

Many kids come to train in their “ojotas”, a sandal native to farmer communities. Unfortunately, while they are very cool and valuable, they are not the best for running and kicking the ball around!

While training is fun and provides an opportunity for continued improvement, ultimately players want to compete and play in tournaments. Therefore, we provide opportunities for players from the communities to participate in local tournaments. There are few local tournaments for youth and women, so we also support the development of competitions in the area that also help drive economic growth.

Sinkumunchis places a significant emphasis on gender equality and women empowerment. We helped the Chahuaytire women’s team participate in their first district tournament in Arin, one hour away from their community, while also supporting the tournament organizers with prizes for the winners.

One of the main challenges that farmer communities face is transportation, given their remote location and underdeveloped roads. Due to this, it is challenging for most kids to participate in programs or games outside their communities. Sinkumunchis helps cover all transportation costs to and from training and soccer games, which allows young players to expand their horizons beyond their communities.

Sinkumunchis also aims to help improve the community's infrastructure to support physical activity, whether it be enhancing field conditions or installing lighting for the soccer fields to maximize the amount of playtime.

When the sun sets, it usually means soccer training has to conclude because most soccer fields in farmer communities lack lighting. This situation limits the amount of time kids can play and continue developing their game.

We established our first school in Chahuaytire, one of the 12 farmer communities in the district Pisac. We are currently in the process of expanding this school to incorporate the other communities in the district. You can read some of our accomplishments below:

The money we raise from GoFundMe will help us keep our operations going until the end of 2022 as well as support us in the development of a new school in the district of Maras. In the mid to long term, we aim to raise funds via both private and public companies, associations, nonprofit collaborations and others as we develop partnerships in Perú, the United States and beyond.

All of us at Sinkumunchis firmly believe in the benefits of playing team sports at an early age and that everyone should be able to benefit from playing sports. Whether it be physical health benefits, mental well-being, or the development of soft skills that will transfer from the soccer pitch to real-life situations.

https://www.sinkumunchis.org