Mathare Youth Sports Association

The Mathare Youth Sports Association ( MYSA ) to about German youth sports organization Mathare, is a social project in Mathare, a slum of Nairobi, Kenya.

This was founded in 1987 by Canadian Bob Munro, who was then considered as a UN consultant to Nairobi. The project has been nominated twice for the Nobel Peace Prize and is financially supported by the Norwegian Pious Foundation, the Dutch Football Association and the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. In 2004, the organization of the Laureus World Sports Awards, the Laureus World Sports Academy was awarded in the category Sport for Good.

Project

When Bob Munro in 1987 in Mathare, a slum with 300,000 to 500,000 inhabitants and diseases such as malaria, AIDS, hepatitis, looked around, soccer-loving children led him to their football field that was littered with broken glass and garbage. He should have told about at the time: "Guys, we now vacate this space, then there is a new ball, and then we play. " This was henceforth referred to internally as MYSA principle.

Since then, the organization, young people trying to convey with the help of soccer social skills and education. In addition to an organized youth league there are clean-up projects. Who can help clean up, gets points for winning such games. Especially eager players get support in education by school fees paid to them. In Theater performances will be elucidated with singing and acting on AIDS and drugs, in the library MYSA own may form who gets no educational space.

Sports

The first boys soccer league in the MYSA began on 22 August 1987, they comprised 27 teams. In 1988, more than 120 teams in different age groups at the start. Since the MYSA receives anyone who wants to play, today kick over 18,000 children and young people 9-18 in 1100 teams from 15 zones - hence, the MYSA Youth League, the largest in Africa. Since 1992, girls soccer is played. Despite some hurdles - such as women and girls in Kenya actually do not play football and the young kicker women were initially ridiculed - the project was very successful, so that the players in the MYSA are now recognized and already account for a third of all teams.

The organization also has its own professional teams: Mathare United has produced four players of the Kenyan national team. Dennis Oliech, who stands today at AJ Auxerre under contract, here began his career.

The professional womens team Mathare United Women FC has brought about Doreen Nabwire, a player of the Kenyan national team and plays for FC Zwolle.

A MYSA choose from, including Doreen Nabwire, was on July 8, 2006 in Berlin, first street football World Cup.