Kibera Football: Kibera Mpira Mtaani
The translation of Kibera Mpira Mtaani is 'Kibera Village Football'. However, this project is about a lot more than just football. Over the last 10 years, Kibera Mpira Mtaani (KiMMta) has coordinated football tournaments and community work in the slums of Kibera. Vision Africa is a strong supporter of the work of this Community Based Organisation and aims to provide funding for three tournaments a year, rent of an office & workshops and seminars for coaches.
The concept of Kibera Mpira Mtaani is that football can be used as a tool to reach out to the youth of Kibera and educate them on a variety of subjects including HIV/AIDS, the importance of education and alternatives to crime. For some children in Kibera there are no parents to check up on them, or their parents are too busy trying to make ends meet to worry about performance at school etc. Some of the football coaches are able to step into this role and check up on children on a weekly basis. There are also rules that each team must sign up to before taking part in a tournament. These encourage children not to smoke or drink alcohol, to attend school and to behave in a respectable manner.
Over the past few years, KiMMta has grown from strength to strength. Since 2008, each of their tournaments during school holidays has involved more than 100 teams - in fact some were oversubscribed and teams had to be turned away. This means that more than 40 coaches and 2,500 children are involved in the football tournaments along with referees and volunteers, and entertainers on finals days. Vision Africa’s support extends to paying for the hire of pitches and referees, trophies and awards such as footballs, bibs and cones and allowances for committee members. The reputation of our tournaments and of Mpira Mtaani has contributed to the success of this project.
In February 2009, KiMMta took the next step in the development of their organization with the opening of a resource centre. Most of the children who play in Kibera Mpira Mtaani tournaments attend informal schools and many live in houses with no electricity so the opportunity for studying at night is limited. By opening up the centre the committee felt they could offer children facilities to study and, with the assistance of volunteer teachers, extra tuition which will hopefully help improve grades. On Saturday mornings, the centre is open to younger children and offers them the opportunity to draw, watch DVD's or write in order to improve their language skills.
The reasoning behind focusing on English language in these sessions is that children in the local area have been performing poorly in school because of language. From an early age, children in Kenya are taught all subjects in English. If they don’t have a good grasp of the language, this can lead to difficulties in the other subjects such as Science, Maths and Social Studies as well as English. Committee member Isaac told us that by improving language, school grades and ultimately the number of children offered places at good secondary schools, “the local community can be changed within 5-6 years”.
The education program has been an amazing success with over 400 students registering for the after school classes. These sessions are run between 4.30pm and 8.30pm and allow different ages groups to come at an allocated time. Students benefit from a safe place to do their homework under the supervision of volunteer teachers who also provide additional assignments and tuition to supplement what is taught in school. In 2010 more than 50 of Kibera Mpira Mtaani’s students sat their Kenyan Certificate of Primary Education exams which determine students in their final year of primary school will be offered a place at secondary school. The marks scored by KiMMta’s students were very impressive with the top being 398 out of 500. KiMMta managed to secure scholarships for around 40 of the students who performed well.
In addition to the syllabus work that is covered by KiMMta’s after-school classes, they also aim to give children an opportunity to explore their creative talents. Extra-curricular activities currently include dance classes, film making workshops, creative writing and poetry classes, a football team and art classes. These classes help boost the confidence of children and encourage then to develop talents that would otherwise go unnoticed.
Kibera Mpira Mtaani is giving so many children a sense of hope in a desperate place to live. Kibera is one of the biggest slums in Africa and without Kibera Mpira Mtaani thousands of destitute children would have no outlet for their energy.
For supporters in Kenya, donations in kind are also welcome at this project. If you have books or stationery you can donate to the library or items that can be used at the football tournaments please do get in touch. Alternatively, let us know if you have some time to volunteer with this project.
50p gives a child a main meal every day they are at school.
£1 a week pays for a child’s education.
Updated: May 2011