Heavy Heart

A very emotional day, which bought me to tears.

I have never seen anything like it and I know my photos do not do it justice. The poverty in the area we coached in today was so obvious. On the way to the town, we gave a young mother carrying her child a ride, she couldn’t have been older than 14 or 15. Hesbon (the local coach I am working with) told me that families will sell their daughters as young brides for money or in the exchange for cattle. I will let the pictures explain the homes of the people and the streets that the children played in, but as I said, they will not full tell the story.

We drove to a gated community of houses which are used to accommodate the workers of the flower farm just next door. Basic concrete blocks, rows of them, with wooden doors and shutters for windows. We drove up to the pitch, which was adjacent to the flower farm, never had the image of wealth and poverty been so apparent. You have a farm making so much money on one side, and the very basic homes of the workers on the other…. I can’t help but think there must be a better balance.

On a football side of things, I was very fortunate to work with a team of wonderful ladies. All 16-18 years old and the best team in the district. 3 players represented Kenya U17’s National Team, 2 played for Kenya last week in a tournament in Tanzania, the 3rd couldn’t go as she didn’t have a passport. These ladies could play! And would be an asset to a College Program in the US without a doubt. It was a pleasure working with such quality, but then after the session I began to realize that what I am doing is just a very small drop in a very large ocean. I feel very helpless as I can not do enough, and sadly if I can not help these ladies then the likelihood is that they too will end up working on the flower farm and not fully achieving what they could with the talent they have.

During the second session with the older boys, as the afternoon moved into early evening, the numbers grew, people coming from work, showing up to the pitch to play. It was amazing, a training session, turned into a community match. It was beautiful to see players joining in, grabbing a bib and coming and playing, the quality was high, the commitment levels would rival that of any professional match and the very best thing you could hear was laughter, during training and the match. I can not think of a better sound to hear in players, young or old!

Despite of the poverty these children live in, they are happy and full of smiles and laughter.

Personally, today was hard and one which I know has changed me…tomorrow we visit the orphanages, I am sure an environment which will change me again!

Thank you for reading!