The SWB girls' team from Ndejje, Uganda
I just graduated from the University of Illinois where I played on the Fighting Illini's varsity soccer team for four years. The past three springs, I have served as the assistant coach to Champaign Centennial's Girls Varsity Soccer Team. Additionally, I have volunteered in Rio Verde, Mexico the past three summers as a coach for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes sports camp. I have a passion for coaching and working in Mexico really opened my eyes to how blessed young players in the United States are to have the opportunities they do to participate in organized sports. For this reason, I chose to volunteer for Soccer Without Borders as a long-term intern. The values that Soccer Without Borders promotes are values that I believe are important and I look forward to working with the kids in Uganda. This is a chance for me to step outside of my comfort zone and really give back to the game that has provided me with so many incredible opportunities. To everyone who is supporting me in this endeavor, thank you so much. I will do my best to send out updates of my experiences before, during, and after the ten months I spend living in Uganda. I am very excited about this adventure, but also somewhat nervous and even a bit scared! However, I am confident that my experiences over the past four years have prepared me well for what is to come and hopefully I will make a difference in the lives of the kids I will be working with!















Friday, March 4, 2011

Dreaming Out Loud

SWB Ndejje has been a very busy program for the last few weeks. February seemed to fly by and I feel good about all that we have accomplished since returning from our month-long break around Christmas. We painted the inside of the Youth Center this past week, which meant long days and lots of paint fumes, but it looks so much more vibrant than it did before and we can't wait to get all of our posters back up and the kids back inside!

In other programming news, we've been focusing on dreams and goal setting with the kids. We had the kids write or draw about what they wanted to be when they grew up and it was so awesome listening to them share their dreams with us and get excited about their futures. I sincerely hope that many of the kids we work with are indeed able to accomplish their dreams, even if the odds are stacked against them.

After spending a week talking about their dreams, we spent this past week introducing them to African men who have accomplished big dreams of their own either in their home country or abroad. The kids loved hearing about people just like them, who grew up in the same conditions in Africa and were able to achieve their goals despite many setbacks that they encountered. It was so inspirational being able to discuss the stories of these men with the kids, and see the kids really take these stories to heart. I asked one group what they would say to someone if that person told them that their dream was impossible. One of the boys, Farouk raised his hand and said confidently, "I would tell them that it is my dream, and so it is possible and I will achieve it." Hearing him say that with so much belief and gusto was the highlight of my week. If we want to instill anything in these kids, it's the notion that regardless of the circumstances in which they grow up, they need to dream for a better life and truly believe that they can achieve whatever they want.

Next week we are going to do the same exercise, but with six African women in honor of International Women's Day on March 8th. I am excited and hopeful that many of the girls will be inspired by these stories and that they will be able to recall them when they are faced with obstacles or challenges on the way to achieving their own dreams!
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