Project Proposal to Inua Dada

Submitted by: Kisumu Youth Football

Association (KYFA)

January, 14th, 2015

Name of Project: Fields of Dreams

and Champions

P.O Box 13- 40123,

Kisumu
Email: info@kisumuyouthfa.org
Contact Person:
Kevin Obware - Programs Manager

Title: KYFA Ladies Nationwide Tournament: Fields of Dreams and Champions

Main Objective: To improve gender equality in education and on the football pitch by
combining sport, life skills training, scholarships and mentorship.
Dates: 14th – 16th April, 2016
Venue: Kisumu City
Implementing organization: Kisumu Youth Football Association (KYFA)

1. Overview of Kisumu Youth Football Association (KYFA)

Kisumu Youth Football Association (KYFA) is a charitable sport for development
organization using value based football and games as tools to promote education, public
health, child rights, peace, football talents and life skills of children and youth in Western
Kenya. KYFA utilizes different sport related drills and games as well as events, tournaments
and forums both in and out of school as platforms to advance various community
development objectives highlighted above. An average of 10,000 girls and boys ages 8-18 in
and around Kisumu County participate in our seasonal football competitions, tournaments
and school based behaviour change activities anchored on life skills trainings, girls
mentorship and child participation and protection and academic recognition and support

1. Background
Kenya is globally recognized as a sporting nation1. Kenyan individual athletes, both male
and female have over decades, demonstrated this national asset internationally by scooping
medals at the Olympic Games, World Championships amongst other major international
athletic events. This success has opened gates for sports scholarships, economic investments
and diverse career opportunities for the champions, their communities and younger track
athletes. However, Kenya continues to perform below average in team sports especially
football, volleyball and rugby just to mention a few because of corruption, poor governance
structures, inadequate government investments in these sports, non-involvement and/or lack
of support for youth structures amongst many other reasons.

To compound this problem, there is gender biasness and discrimination in management and
funding of women team sports. As the most popular sport in Kenya, the state of women
football is one example of how low the country is falling in bridging the gap between male
and female sports. While the women premier league cannot be played successfully because of
lack of funds, the men’s Kenya Premier league landed a new sponsor in mid 2015, a betting
company called Sportspesa that is funding the league for four and a half years at the tune of
Kshs 450 million. This comes in the background of previous 3-year funding contract by East
Africa Breweries valued at Kshs 270 million signed in 2013.

‘The state of Kenya Women Football continues to be a daily struggle for all women
footballers and young stars aspiring to derive some kind of identity and livelihood from the
sport’, writes Doreen Nabwire, the first Kenyan International female player2. She further
writes that ‘sadly so, several players have been seen quit the game, forced into early
marriages, prostitution and crime, some have been hopelessly left stranded and some still
hang on hoping for a better day when all their efforts will pay’. She concludes her article by
echoing one sad reality that ‘as it stands today, to the Federation women football is just but a
privilege and not a priority’.
__________________________
1 http://www.kenyaembassy.com/aboutkenyasports.html
2Doreen Nabwire http://www.michezoafrika.com/womenspremierleague/the-sad-state-of-kenya-women-football/16731

It is a shame that even with the huge popularity of football amongst men and women in
Kenya, the game is still considered a male sport and talented female football players lack
platforms to showcase their talents and access opportunities that come with this. There are
few female football coaches and even fewer female sports role models to emulate.
Article 31 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child states that Children
have the right to relax and play, and to join in a wide range of cultural, artistic and other
recreational activities. This is never respected especially in many parts of Kenya where girls
are expected to stay at home and perform domestic chores.

According to Participatory Situation Analysis for Kisumu Plan International Program Unit13
social cultural myths, beliefs and practices that entrench and compound the gender and
generational marginalization has clearly defined boy child and girl child and has engendered
continued isolation of the girl child all in the name of “social construction” of the society.
Girls are facing a series of unique and urgent challenges that require specific attention if we
are to harness the remarkable potential of girls to create a better life for themselves and their
children, a more prosperous community, a healthier workforce and a stronger nation.

The Kenyan Demographic and Health survey (KDHS, 2014)4 indicates that fifteen
Percent of women age 15-19 have already had a birth while 18 percent have begun
childbearing (had alive birth or are pregnant with their first child). The percentage of women
who have begun childbearing increases rapidly with age, from about 3 percent among women
age 15 to 40 percent among women age 19. Prevalence of early childbearing is highest in the
Nyanza region where 22.2% of girls between 15 – 19 have began child bearing. Peer
pressure, inadequate communication about sexuality at family level, unaffordable sanitary
pads, heavy domestic workload, gender based violence and lack of mentorship and role
models has been shown to be a major contributor to early pregnancies and associated
consequences including school dropout cases, early marriages, and contraction of STIs/HIV.

2. Proposed Intervention strategy

KYFA sees sports (and in our case, specifically football) as a way of developing the talents
and self-esteems of young girls. Through sports organized in a safe environment, hundreds of
young girls are given the chance to showcase talents that are not usually recognized. When
these girls are in the field, they get out of the ‘social construction’ that would ordinarily bar
them from active participation in football. They have the unique opportunity of showing men
and women; girls and boys that football can be for everyone, and many spectators are often
surprised at the talent exhibited. And these talents exhibited normally land scholarship
opportunities for high school and college education and future careers.

KYFA also believe that if vulnerable and disadvantaged girls can connect with non-parental
peers, motivational speakers and role models who provide them with inspiration, guidance
and information on life skills, they will be more likely able to handle challenges affecting
them, perform well in school, avoid high-risk activities and make more successful transitions
to adulthood.

___________________________
3
https://plan-international.org/kenya
4
http://dhsprogram.com/pubs/pdf/PR55/PR55.pdf

“The power of sports is far more than symbolic. You are engines of economic growth. You
are a force for gender equality. You can bring youth and others in from the margins,
strengthening the social fabric. You can promote communication and help heal the divisions
between peoples, communities and entire nations. You can set an example of fair play.”
Louise Fréchette, the UN Deputy Secretary General during the World Sport’s Forum in
March 2000

3. Objectives
a) Provide an organized football tournament to girls and young women in Kenya
b) Provide a safe and positive platform for mentorship, role modeling, experiential learning
and inspiration of girls and young women in Kenya.
c) Provide opportunities for football scholarships to girls.

4. Activities
a) Organize a three day nationwide football competitions, including quality officiating for
400 girls in Kisumu City in Kenya
b) Provide daily two hours life skills sessions for the three days presented by successful
young women in Kenya.
c) Conduct a one day advocacy forum with girls’ football stakeholders in Kisumu
d) Invite top girls football schools and colleges to conduct talent search during the
tournament

5. Expected Outcomes
a) Enhanced leadership skills amongst 400 girls through participation in football and life
skills/mentorship activities
b) Improved self confidence and self esteem of 400 girls through participation in football
and life skills/mentorship activities
c) Atleast 10 girls participating in the tournament land sports scholarships to attend high
school and colleges
d) Girls’ football stakeholders commit funding for women football
 6. Budget

  2016 KYFA Ladies Nationwide Tournament: Fields of Dreams and Champions

No. Description Quantity Days Amount Total (Kshs)
(Kshs)
1 Low cost accommodation - 400 3 150 180,000.00
participants
2 Meals - Players and 420 3 250 315,000.00
organizers/volunteers
3 Local transport for teams 1 3 10,000 30,000.00
4 Referees allowances 15 3 800 36,000.00
5 Field Hire 4 3 2000 24,000.00
6 Whitewash- Field markings 3 3 700 6,300.00
7 Security 4 3 800 9,600.00
8 Ambulance 1 3 8000 24,000.00
9 First aiders 6 3 500 9,000.00
10 Tent Hire 2 3 3000 18,000.00
11 Chairs 400 3 12 14,400.00
12 Tables 5 3 700 10,500.00
13 Tournament 1 1 7,000 7,000.00
stationery/certificates (Bulk)
14 Organizing committee 13 3 500 19,500.00
transport allowances
15 Communication 15 3 200 9,000.00
16 P.A (Finals) 1 1 6000 6,000.00
17 Awards (Bulk) 1 1 230000 230,000.00
18 Transportation for mentors 6 3 1000 18,000.00
and motivational speakers
  Sub-total       966,300.00
  Contingency (3%)       28,989.00
  Grand total       995,289.00