Continuingour journey through the amazing work done by the Jersey 2 Africa 4 Football(J2A) team, we move on to their efforts to provide football kits, coaching andsupport to underprivileged communities in Kenya.
J2A'swork didn't just focus on South Africa. The team also made a significant impactin Kenya by providing football kits to underprivileged communities. Junior kitsfrom Jersey Scottish and Rozel Rovers found a new home in Jerusalem, Kenya,while local coaches were thrilled by their new training tops, courtesy of PwCand the Jersey Primary Schools Festival.
Inaddition to providing kits, J2A stepped in to sponsor an U14 tournament held atthe City Stadium, Nairobi. Upon receiving a request from the tournament's leadorganiser, who had struggled to raise sufficient funds to support the purchaseof enough trophies, J2A made a last-minute decision to provide trophies andfootballs for the event.
Ourimpact went beyond just providing equipment and resources. The team also workedto provide coaching and support to inmates at the King'ong'o Maximum SecurityPrison in Nyeri, Kenya.
Thevisit was arranged by Irene Mbori, a female coach who had previously attended acoaching workshop held by J2A. Mbori had made it her life's work to visitprisons throughout Kenya to help in rehabilitating prisoners through football,after her own father was murdered in front of her in a gun attack some yearspreviously.
Approximately50 inmates and staff attended a coaching seminar entitled "How CanFootball Help You in Life?" and virtually the whole prison turned out fora practical coaching and games session afterwards in the prison courtyard. TheJ2A team was greeted by Wycliffe Ogalo, the Commissioner-General of the KenyaPrisons service, who sanctioned a coaching visit by J2A to the prison. This wasthe first of its kind in the history of the prison.
The J2A team made apresentation to Mr Eustace Wairagu, Superintendent of the King'ong'o MaximumSecurity Prison, in recognition of their visit. They hoped that the sessionwould prove to be both a stimulus to adopting football skill practices,exercise routines and games as part of a sustained legacy, to enhance theirexisting rehabilitation programmes for inmates.
Overall,J2A's work in Kenya has been nothing short of inspiring. Their efforts to providefootball equipment, coaching and support to underprivileged communities,including inmates at a maximum-security prison, have made a significant impacton the lives of many. We look forward to seeing what they will accomplish inthe future.
