FROM MITUMBA SLUM

CHAMRECC center would like to thank Sunderland Samba for the support they have given to the school and community. Above all we thank Maureen a lot she help us achieve a golden moment this year, the first girls she introduce to kibera girls soccer secondary school as done form four and this is a big gift she as given us. We did not have money to pay for our school fees, we had loss hope with education.
We have nothing to give her but we are praying that she continue with that heat, we won't let her, john boyd and sunderland samba team down.
thanks again from Maureen, Vella, Eunice and Faith

Eunice Anyango - Sunderland Samba Girls Team

My name is Eunice Anyango I was bone in 1993 December, I am schooling at Langata High.
My big aim to join Sunderland Samba Girls team is because I like football and its my talent and in the group am given opportunity, I want to learn how to socialize with people in order to live as one family also I would like to support my family, community and my country.
Since I join the team have gained a lot even how to express my self even from the trainings I got. I love my coach Maureen she is understanding and she has help me a lot to achieve. On behalf of other girls in the team I would like to thank the sunderland samba team in uk who has support us with sanitary towels which we get every month it has really motivate us and help us because they are expensive we cant afford to buy them and am really impressed with that.
I expect encouragement from the team and also our team to be a role model in the community as you know many negative things do take place in the slum .
NOTE Respect should be the key to success before you do anything, think about it, am sure we will reach far.

Maasai Mara, 01.08.10

We closed the trip to Kenyan with a visit to the Maasai Mara. While the girls went back to Nairobi, we were picked up by our driver, Big Ben Kariuki, our colourful driver, who was to be with us the next two days. We (and I include Maureen in the we) were joined by Flo, from Girls Soccer, who has been involved in the Samba Kenya Project since its first year in 2004. We stayed at the Siana Springs lodge, which was about half an hour from the park gate. The drive from Naivasha to the lodge took about 5 hours, with the roads getting progressively worse. It seemed impossible that Big Ben would be able to find his way, but he knew the short cuts like the back of his hand. It was somewhat surreal when he decided it was easier driving off the road than on it – there are no footpaths in this part of Kenya, and the roads are so potholed and bumpy that in places it’s impossible to drive more than 15 mph. Pothole dancing and road massages is the standard.
We had a full day in the game reserve, seeing 3 of the big 5 (elephant, lion, and buffalo), just missing the leopard and the rhino. Leopards and rhinos are in the park, but were keeping to themselves, leopards being nocturnal, and the black rhinos being very difficult to find. We also saw baboons, crocodiles, hippos, wildebeest, giraffes, zebra, antelopes, vultures, cheetahs, to name but a few of the wide variety of animal and bird life in the park. It was a long, tiring day, but very enjoyable. Big Ben was in his element, and was able to share his wealth of knowledge of the wildlife.
We were back in Nairobi on Sunday afternoon, after presenting some balls to a local Maasai school near the park, and it remains to prepare for our early-morning flight home and say goodbye to some of the people that we have been working with.

Naivasha Camp, 26-30 July 2010

The second week of the camp, we spent in Naivasha. We didn’t have wi-fi so we haven’t been able to update the blog, and we got a bit behind and missed the last few days in Nairobi. It’ll all be uploaded hopefully before we leave though.
Rather than doing it day by day, I’m just going to blog about the camp as a whole. OK, we weren’t actually camping, but we were self catering, at the YMCA site at Lake Naivasha. We had 2 huts with 3 of us in each, whereas the participants were all together in a big dormitory, and the other leaders were in their own rooms too. Initially, the Samba team had been put in one hut, all 6 in one: it was pretty cramped and there wasn’t any room, so we decided it would be better to split into 2 rooms.
Three groups were involved in taking part in the camp. Girls Soccer from Kibera, the girls from Mathare, and the girls from CHAMRECC – 25 young women in all. They each had two leaders, and we, the Samba group, were in charge of the coaching and the football programme. Maureen did an amazing job of organising everyone while we there. We had two football sessions a day, one in the morning from 9 till 12, and one in the afternoon from 3 till 4ish. The whole group also got up at 5.45 for a half hour run. We split into three stations for the coaching and worked on developing various aspects of the game. There was a fairly wide range of ability, but it was evident that the girls were committed, and they worked hard all week. As well as coaching sessions, we also mixed the groups to play 3 games of small-sided games to close the morning sessions. In the afternoons, we held larger games of 11-a-side, culminating in the girls taking on a local school team. They played really well, winning 2-1, but played most of the game in the opposition half.
The Samba team, with some of the older girls, and the other coaches took part in a friendly match against the local Naivasha team, who play in the 3rd tier of the Kenyan league. We gave a creditable display, but ended up on the wrong side of a 4-0 defeat. We followed that game up with another short friendly against another random team that had turned up.
On two of the evenings, we held a camp fire, with some singing, and a birthday celebration for Lawsy. In Kenyan tradition, for a birthday, the person has to be on their toes, as their friends are looking to soak them with dirty water when they least expect it. The camp fire brought the water, and despite knowing about it, he wasn’t expecting it at all! It was a great birthday for him. The only downside was that that evening, Sean took ill, and wasn’t able to take part. He was back on his feet in just a couple of days, not out for a full week like Lawsy had been, so that was the silver lining to that little cloud.
While at Naivasha, we came into contact with Collins. He had been doing some personal training around the pitch on the first day and was moved and inspired to get involved. It turned out he was a player for Karaturi FC, who play in the Kenyan Premier League. He was a humble, wise, and inspiring individual, and we spent a lot of time talking with him about football, about Sunderland, and about life as a footballer in the Kenyan Premier League. He said how he thought we were doing something special, and made a short presentation to the group about his artwork. He also talked about the sense in walking with wise people, but I think he was the wise man, and it made more sense us walking with him. It was really selfless of him to donate a huge mosaic he had made, which took him a month to complete, and which he could have sold for 10000 shillings, to take back to Nairobi to inspire young people in the slums. We have a new friend in Colo.
On the final day of the camp, we were able to present everyone who had attended the camp with a shirt. It was obvious that the girls were really appreciative of the time that they had spent at Naivasha, and that they had gained a lot from participating. They had made new friends, they had participated in everything without complaint, even the early-morning runs, and we were so pleased that they had responded so well. We feel that, especially in Kenya, it is extremely important to encourage and empower the young women, as women often don’t get as many opportunities as men, and it is of so much value to promote opportunities for them. Hopefully, the memories will stay with them for a long time to come.

Kibera Tournament, 25.08.10

We held the girls’ football tournament in Kibera on the middle Sunday of the trip. Teams from Girls’ Soccer in Kibera, Mitumba, Mathare, Masai Villa, Hamlet, and Sadili took part and Samba also had 2 games: one against the coaches, and one against Sadili boys, which was 11 a side and had a kind of Samba invitation 11 playing.
The tournament was held at a school in Kibera. The pitch was plenty big enough for 7 a side, but a bit small for 11! The markings were laid out by hand – Coxie and Sean pitching in. It wasn’t the straight lines you’d see in the Premiership, or even on our Hylton Road pitch! Added colour was provided by a hill to one side down which the ball went on numerous occasions through the day. The games were watched by people from the Kibera community, who stood by the railway line passing close by. We could have been on a good earner charging for tickets.
The tournament was a great success; a hard fought final was eventually won by Girls’ Soccer after a foul which led to a fairly close-range free kick. Pioneering use of video technology proved successful in determining the outcome of a shot which seemed to go in under the bar (well, the string of the jury-rigged goal that had been repaired that morning) in an earlier game. Credit to Coxie who was refereeing and got the decision spot on.
Entertainment was provided by a Kibera performance group made up of children and young people who danced, did acrobatics, and sang for the gathered teams watching. Big thanks to Maureen for doing the local organisation and getting the different teams involved.
The teams were very appreciative of the presentations and we were able to give balls to each team that took part.
It was an added bonus that Lawsy was given a clean bill of health from the doctor – it was confirmed he’d had food poisoning – and was feeling better after being given some tablets to kick it into touch.
That night we had to pack for Naivasha, and trim our luggage down significantly in order to make sure it would all fit on the matatu (the local Kenyan public transport in the form of 8- or 14-seater minibuses).

Gatundu

Blog – Gatundu
On the Saturday, we went out in the countryside not far from Nairobi for a match at Gatundu with the girls’ team there. It was one of the best pitches we’d played on so far. It had proper goals (albeit with no nets), and grass on the pitch! The game went well. We borrowed a few players again: Tony Small and Ja-Ja (John’s nephews), Dennis, John and Khalifa (Ja-Ja’s friends), and Maureen played in goal. The referee awarded a penalty for handball to the girls in the last few minutes: Dennis, our borrowed centre half was adamant that the ball hit him on the chest. Tony Small finished off a good move for our first goal and Dan buried a corner from Lawsy who came on to play for 5 minutes, despite still feeling bad. The girls played well, and the game finished 2-2. There were two combined girls’ teams from the area playing. We presented them with 2 balls each for the two teams and encouraged them to continue working hard. Hopefully we’ll be able to work with them again in the future, preferably with the two full teams and not a combination thereof.
Later on in the day, we spent the afternoon at the farm that belongs to John’s in laws. They’d put on a big spread for us, which was great. We also had a walk down to the local river, about 20 minutes, a tour of the farm, and we were taken through the coffee-production process, coffee being the main crop that the farm produces.
Maureen and Angel were with us for most of the day.

23.07.2010

Today would be our last day in Mitumba. It was graduation for the students of the business workshop, this coincided with the pupils of the school finishing their exams. A day of presentations, singing and dancing had been planned by the pupils and students of the school, so we had to do some sort of performance too. Unfortunately, Lawsy couldn’t make it with us today, so he was left in bed to feel sorry for himself.

We then piled the gear in the car, picked up Maureen and made our final journey to Mitumba. In the car, we practised the song that we would be singing. The song that was suggested was, New Order – World In Motion, or more specifically – the John Barnes’ Rap, and it was agreed.
We arrived at the school and put the kit into the store cupboard and just mingled within the school, talking to people who we have met during the week. We then managed to find an empty classroom, and practised our performance.

The main sponsor towards the running costs of the school is a church which is run by someone called Pastor Doni – a black American woman who has been living in Kenya for the past two years. As the workshop was in the final stages, Pastor Doni went in to meet all of the students and give a very inspiring speech. She brought along with her a big bag of jewellery-making materials to give to the students, as a kick start to put what the students have learnt into practise and start a business.

After the speech, Pastor Doni met with the entire group and spoke to us. It was nice to meet the person who makes the children’s dreams come true. She said that what we were doing was very good. James is going to carry this bit on.

When Pastor Doni left, it was just about time for the presentation. At this point, Joe came back to the school, but with some special guests; Vicky and Tony. Mumbi also came.

Everyone is seated and Chacha makes a speech and starts the event off by introducing the first performance. There were many different songs, poems and dances performed by both the pupils of the school, and the students of the business workshop. A few people from the Masai tribe attended the workshop and they performed a tribal song and dance for us. Halfway through there performance we were invited up to dance with them which was great fun. After this, we were presented with some gifts from the Masai Tribe.

After all the performances from the pupils and students, it was our turn. We had organised to do a ‘play’ on togetherness, women’s football, fitness and education. After the performance, we had to sing. We had practised the song for about an hour altogether this morning, but John still couldn’t remember the opening line and had to ask me and James for it.

‘You’ve got to hold and give, but do it at the right time,
You can be slow or fast, but you must get to the line,
They’ll always hit you and hurt you,
Defend and attack,
There’s only one way to beat them,
Get round the back,
So catch me if you can,
‘Cos I’m the Samba man,
And what you’re looking at,
Is the master plan,
We aint no hooligan,
This is a football song,
With Samba on my chest,
You know you can’t go wrong.’

After this, there was a presentation from us. We had some certificates to give out, with the equipment Pastor Doni had donated to the students who had completed the business workshop.

After all the presentations were completed, it was lunch time. This is when Joe went with Vicky, Mumbi and Tony. Our group had lunch and then shortly after, we got the gear and made our way to the pitch, where we would be playing a game of netball and football. Yes, you read correctly, netball.

We arrive at the field to a scene of the netball team doing their equivalent of the haka – a song about netball. We were terrified. We had no idea of the rules of netball. We got kitted out for the match and then were introduced to the referee of the match. We were then briefly told about the rules.

The match began, they started off with the ball and due to some slack defending from Coxie and James, we were one nil down after a minute. Fantastic. It was our turn to ‘kick off’ and I thought to my self, this is the time to put my height advantage into some good use. The ball was thrown into my direction, I was just about to catch the ball and then, BOOM, the woman marking me came ploughing right through me and collected the ball. They mean business. As the match progressed, our team started to get to grips with the rules and we went into half time with the lead after some good play with me and Kenyan Dan getting the “goals”?

The second half was just as intense and competitive as the first half, but we were learning the rules. No thanks to James for breaking the rules which caused the other team to score a few goals like…

We won, to the delight of our support – the CHAMRECC school children. We had a talk with the team and they told us of their hope and goals. Now, it was the serious stuff – the football match. This was due to be played just by the netball pitch.

We managed to recruit some players from the CHAMRECC School and then organise the team. The other team was already sorted and was waiting patiently. The pitch wasn’t great – that is putting it nicely. In the first half, when we were defending, there was a building site with piles of rubble and sand dotted about. Not ideal when our opponents winger was running at you and you couldn’t turn due to the horrendousness of the pitch. After ten minutes we were two nil down. Kenyan Dan then decided it was time to change the keeper, after the first had let in two easy goals and was limping.

We battled on and went into half time two nil down. Not that bad. We had a half time team talk and Lawsy and Joe turned up! Lawsy at this point felt a lot better, but still not right enough to play football.

The second half started and we were much improved as the other side of the pitch was 100 times better than the first half. We attacked, attacked and attacked and still no luck. I took a free kick from a decent position and I hit the bar. Damn. We carried on attacking and got another free kick. This time John took it and shot at the goal. The keeper made a great save and tipped the shot onto the post; at this point I was running in on goal for the rebound. The ball then hit the bar and bounced away from goal and I was to tap the ball in. The referee blew his whistle before my shot and gave the goal to John’s effort, which never crossed the line. Bizarre, but I’m claiming it.

The match continued and they started to attack more, some of our players became a little tired. The referee then said there were three minutes left to play. We get a corner, I came up for it and left James at the back by himself. This was the last chance to score. Coxie took a poor corner but it was in poor conditions and the ball bounced to their winger, he was 1 on 1 with James and James tried his best to bring him down, I mean to win the ball, but failed miserably. The opponent was 1 on 1 with the keeper, and bizarrely the referee blew for offside, even though he started running from his own half! I thought this was full time and start shaking hands with the players, but then the referee said their was 11 minutes left!

The match then ebbed and flowed but no team managed to score. We were beaten 2-1, but our heads held high as we knew we had played well and had the chances to win the match. After the match we had a talk with the other team and Sean was given the man of the match award. Well done Sean. We had photos and then made our way back to CHAMRECC School to get the bus to Mama Judy’s restaurant.

We were treated to a hearty meal of delicious nyama choma – which is roasted meat, with some other local veg and chips. Mama Judy’s food had been excellent all week. The team, bar Lawsy went for a drink and dance at a local bar.

Today had been the best day of the trip so far.

Dan.