Girls Kick It was selected to represent Uganda in this year’s Homeless World Cup in Paris. The HWC cup will take place August 19th-29th and next to the Eiffel Tower. Our country director, Monica, is working with Coach Moses to select eight players to represent the team this year. Players are selected on dedication, attitude, and skills.
The construction of the Paicho chicken house has begun this month! The players are helping in the process and have preformed several service projects to help the contractors and to beautify the surrounding area. The chicken house will help teach the players management and business skills and help generate income for the girls to pay school fees or start a second business.
I am continually moved by how these girls have grown both as women and as players in the five years I have known them. The team performed incredibly well on the soccer pitch, but it was their decisions and interactions off the pitch that were truly valuable. Each player has taught me about love and strength, but most of all resilience. These women have survived incredible circumstances; from war to poverty and displacement. And yet they crave change; they are certain it will come. I admire their faith in one another, and the network of trust they have created in the program.
The highlight of the tournament actually came off the soccer pitch, and on the beach. After a long conversation, I convinced most off the girls to come with me into the ocean. None of them had been in, let alone seen, an ocean. After three hours of swimming, body surfing and splashing I could not convince them to get out! I can’t wait to see these girls take their experiences from Rio back to Paicho!
The team arrived safely back to Kampala after competing in Rio, Brazil for their fourth Homeless World Cup. The HWC is an annual street soccer competition of over fifty nations with teams made up of homeless, refugees and internally displaced persons.
GKI sent 8 players, a coach and a manger from Paicho to Rio. The girls had a blast from learning to body surf, to trying the famous Brazilian meat to dominating on the soccer pitch. The team was a force on the pitch but were known around the tournament as the friendliest and most lively team! The girls loved to dance, and were inclined to teach other players, and to learn their local dances as well.
I am always amazed to see the women’s teams form a special bond with one other unlike the men’s teams. After each game, after playing ruthlessly, the teams would come together and genuinely congratulate one another.
Big shout out to Craig Lustman and his friends for their special GKI spin class! The pushed hard for 90 minutes and raised almost 500 dollars!
Thanks Craig!