Kids score big for development goals

After a life-changing volunteer trip to Kenya in 2005, Robin Ujfaluši, cousin of Czech footballer Tomáš Ujfaluši, was determined to make a difference in the lives of African teenagers. But it was a street soccer tournament between Kenyan and European kids in Germany one year later that made it all possible.

With the help of the Czech NGO INEX-SDA and the financial support of the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Ujfaluši founded a program called Football for Development (Fotbal pro rozvoj) to bring the urban youths from Kenya to the Czech Republic to play soccer with their Czech peers, fostering not only a better understanding of the game, but also of each other.

Since the project began, about 10 teenagers a year from Nairobi have been accommodated with Czech families during their visit, providing an intercultural experience for both sides. During their time off the pitch, the youths attend seminars at Czech partner schools on issues affecting Africa, like HIV/AIDS prevention, poverty and the role of men and women in society from the perspective of both cultures.

This year, the Kenyans'  three-week stay starts in June, and with the cooperation of 14 participating high schools in Ostrava, Olomouc, Prague and Polička, to name a few. Their program is packed full of soccer and cultural activities. They'll all come together near the beginning of the month in Prague on Prague Day for Africa for a soccer tournament and a concert of African music.

Organizers have managed to attract a famous face to this year's project - an African player from Cameroon who made it as a professional soccer player in Europe, the dream of many African kids. Léonard Kweuke currently plays for Sparta Praha but has also played in Germany and Slovakia.

"Kweuke of Sparta Praha will become the face of the video-clips with the message 'Kick with us for a better world.' [The slogan] illustrates perfectly that soccer, besides being a great business and career, has a great societal impact and influences social status and the lives of people from the poorest parts of the world," Ujafluši says.

"For some people in the slums of Nairobi, soccer means a chance for a better life, and Kweuke made it. He will show the Czechs that not only did he manage to score five goals in one match, but also what kind of phenomenon soccer is and something about his roots."

Soccer is enormously popular in Kenya - despite never having ranked among the top African soccer countries like Cameroon, Senegal or Nigeria - and the perpetual enthusiasm for European soccer was surprising for Ujfaluši.

"For a Czech guy, it was hard to find a common topic of conversation with Kenyans. Soccer, surprisingly, was the right one. When you say 'Havel' or 'Forman,' they have no clue. But when I mentioned Baroš, Poborský, Nedvěd or Rosický, their eyes lit up, and they knew them all. They could even name one-third of the Czech national soccer team by heart," Ujfaluši says, "especially those who played in the English Premier League. Kenyans simply love English soccer. And I used to think that it was only athletics they cared about since some of them have to cover long distances to get to work or school."

Despite the popularity of soccer in both Europe and Africa, the difference between continents creates an enormous perception gap, even when it comes to the mutually admired sport.

According to Pavel Žwak, current manager of the Football for Development project, soccer in the Czech Republic mostly represents a fun leisure activity, whereas in Kenya it conveys a much deeper message.

"All over the world, soccer is a universal tool for communication, where on one field people from different social backgrounds, strata, sexes and religion meet, and it works," Žwak said. "But in Kenya, the people live soccer. The top players are worshipped. For many people, soccer represents one of only a few chances to escape poverty, not only for the player, but even his family."

Instead of slipping to the margins of society and falling victim to substance abuse like many youths from Nairobi, the teenagers who participate in Football for Development train regularly and gain self-respect for having objectives to reach.

When the teens arrive in Europe and interact for the first time with European families, a culture clash inevitably occurs, however. Ujfaluši describes how Kenyan teenagers who picture Europe as heaven on earth are shocked after encountering Roma ghettos - surprised to see something in Europe reminding them of slums in Africa. Czech high-school students are surprised by the optimism and openness of the Africans, who though they come from a very different environment are exactly the same teenagers with the same passions and desires.

Ujfaluši believes the visit to the Czech Republic and all the attention paid to the stories of Kenyan boys and girls who represent their country boost their confidence.

"It is great to observe children from different cultures finding mutual understanding and talking. I believe that taking part in the project definitely influences them. Some Czech students then continue to study issues in developing countries or become active in campaigns such as Czechia Against Poverty, and others just experience an unforgettable adventure," Žwak said.

Žwak himself admits to having been profoundly influenced by the project since he became its coordinator in 2009. He says the experience was an opportunity "to adjust his priorities."

He adds that Czech teenagers have poor knowledge of developing countries' issues in general, and in some cases they have no clue at all, due to the insufficient coverage of the topics in high schools. The project aims to change this.

"As a student of development studies, I had relatively good insight into these issues, but personal encounters and the chance to reflect on the real problems is priceless."

For more information

on Football for Development, visit Footballfordevelopment.net

Klára Jiřičná can be reached at kjiricna@praguepost.com

Klára Jiřičná can be reached at
kjiricna@praguepost.com