A Friendship Formed

While I have gotten to witness many great things as a result of the programs we have run in Ndejje since arriving here in August, one of the most satisfying things to observe are the friendships that have formed between kids who participate in our soccer training sessions. I want to write about one such friendship in particular, between two girls hailing from different schools, Angel and Nalule, who are now inseparable.

Within Ndejje, as is true for most communities in Uganda, there exists strong rivalries between primary schools and amongst the children who attend them. I think a lot of different factors contribute to these rivalries, but they are definitely spurned on by the faculty of the schools because they are usually competing for school fees from the families whose children attend. As a result, it was challenging at the beginning to foster an environment in which kids from different schools felt welcome and safe, without being ostracized by the kids who represented a majority from one specific school. With time though, all of the kids who attend the program have improved at making others feel welcome and not letting rivalries get in the way of friendships.

Nalule is our best footballer, and she is a very confident, outspoken young girl who is not intimidated by anyone (she usually does the intimidating herself). She has really transformed into an effective leader for our girls' team, and is the only girl who has attended every single training session. Angel was new to SWB last fall, but she quickly became a regular at the training sessions, as she too is one of the more passionate footballers on the girls' side. She has an attitude, which can be both good and bad at times, and while she loves playing football, she hates running! In contrast to Nalule, Angel is more of a follower, and is happy to be on the team but would never feel comfortable in a position of leadership.

Despite their differences, the two girls have formed quite the pair. We frequently see them walking around Ndejje together, giggling to one another with mischievous grins splashed across their faces. They have unintentionally set the perfect example for other kids in our program what it should look like to be teammates regardless of which primary school anyone attends. Nalule is the natural-born leader, with Angel as her sidekick. And not only has their friendship been positive beyond the pitch, but Nalule's influence has also helped Angel to work harder at practice, especially when it comes to running!

Their friendship is something that we have all enjoyed watching develop, and definitely one that provides a lot of laughs to the observer. They are both young girls who are full of spunk and delight in each others company. The relationship that they share is just another example of how the game of soccer can unite people who come from different backgrounds, in this case, the different primary schools that each girl attends.