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 Lorrie Fair, a former member of the U.S. Olympic women’s soccer team, visited the Game On! Youth Sports program in Nairobi, Kenya recently as part of a goodwill tour across Africa recognizing innovative sport and development projects that are benefiting children.
Fair is founder of Kickabout, a group dedicated to celebrating the power of soccer as a tool for social change in Africa. Her group is acknowledging special programs like Game On! that are making life-changing differences for children in Africa, as all eyes will be focused on this part of the world this summer for the 32-nation World Cup that will crown a champion in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The Game On! program in Nairobi is run by Enouce Ndeche, CEO and Founder of Vijana Amani Pamoja, which means “Youth Peace Together.”
During Fair’s visit to the Game On! program she demonstrated how to perform a variety of soccer skills for the children and helped guide them through drills that enabled them to work on different aspects of the sport. She also spent time talking to the participants and encouraging them as they took part in the program.
Fair, as a former member of the U.S. National Team, played in the Olympics and the Women’s World Cup. She has traveled all over the world as an athlete ambassador for the U.S. Department of State.
Game On! Youth Sports, a program of the International Alliance for Youth Sports (IAYS), addresses issues that hinder sports programming for children and gives them opportunities to participate in sports and experience healthier lifestyles while reducing the chances of becoming involved in negative activities.
Millions of Kenyan children lack the opportunity to reap the physical and emotional benefits of taking part in quality sports programs. Through the Game On! school plan children in primary grades 1-3 are introduced to the skills necessary to participate and enjoy sports activities while children in grades 4-8 are introduced to the rules and skills requirements for a number of specific sports as determined by the local community.
The Game On! Youth Sports program operates by training local coaches and physical education teachers from the community on how to introduce proper sports skills to young children. It focuses on promoting the value sports can bring to the overall development of children.
Game On! Youth Sports has been embraced throughout Africa. Besides the highly successful program Ndeche is running in Kenya, programs have also been held in Zambia, Uganda, Rwanda and the Sudan.
The IAYS has a regional office set up in Zambia to assist with overseeing Game On! Youth Sports programming throughout Africa. |
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| Last Modified: 4/30/2010 10:38 AM |
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