My name is Abdul Hussein. My good friend, Mary Liao, who lives in Canada, is helping me fundraise for Wayo Wayo Kibra a community soccer and development program based here in Kibera, Nairobi, Kenya.

Kibera is the largest urban slum in Africa, with an estimated 500,000 – 1 million slum dwellers in Nairobi living in extreme poverty with a lack of access to essential services, including electricity, clean running water, sanitation service, and medical care. Additionally, an insufficient food supply and a lack of access to health care and education limit opportunities for Kiberian residents.

Another aspect of extreme destitute living conditions includes dwellers living in structurally unstable rooms, many with low roofs, unusable toilets, half-flooded areas, and excessive rubbish. In some villages, the head of the household will send their children to beg for survival. The earnings are less than $2 a day for an entire family.

We create opportunities for Kibera's disadvantaged youth through recreational soccer, community work and life skills training. Our vision is to support bright future for Kibera's youth will lead to multiple career pathways in addition to providing safety and security in their lives.

The Wayo Wayo Kibra (WWK) Youth Soccer program started in 2016. The soccer league participants range from ages 9 through 17, with all skill levels welcome. The purpose of our soccer program, is to: (1) support youth to nurture their soccer skills in a team setting; and (2) gain knowledge of like skills and environmental responsibilities. The backbone of the Soccer program is to combine physical activities with education; compulsory life skills training and environmental community service, to create a safe space for youth to discuss issues affecting their lives. Through recreational activities, WWK showcases the importance of values, including respect, hard work, teamwork, accountability, integrity, and innovation. Additionally, we conduct mandatory quarterly forums for participants to engage in topics such as substance abuse, rape, HIV/AIDS, and COVID-19. Life skill workshops are also necessary for continuing development and creating a more cohesive learning experience through community coach engagement.

The league is completely free for any resident of Kibera. As previously stated, every registered player in the WWK soccer program must participate in life skills training and environmental community service to qualify for the final soccer tournament at the end of the season. Each year, registration for the league starts in February; the games begin in April, and the last tournament games take place in December. There are various incentives for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place teams and individual awards for best player, an outstanding coach, best goalkeeper, etc. In 2023, there was a total of 64 teams (U11-U16) with 994 players (including 10 girls teams; 150 players) and 55 coaches.

We have an annual operational budget of 5000 USD to support the basic league play; training events, league play, and environmental clean ups. All of these funds go to helping kids play.

Here are ways in which your funds can help our youth:

Sports:

$20 Support a soccer cleat for a girl/boy

 $20 Support a soccer ball for the soccer teams both boys and girls.

Community service:

$ 8 Support a rake/spade for community service

Life skills session:

$10 Support a life skills forum for boys and Girls

 $10 Support a school stationary for both boys/Girls to attend school

Capacity-building training:

$77 Support individual to attend a leadership training

Volunteers:

$ 77 Support stipend for volunteers who makes the program operational

Community Health volunteer:

$100 Support the entire cost of training and certifying a community health volunteer.

I would really appreciate any support you can provide.