Carolina for Kibera

Your support for the One World Futbol Project – through your purchases, by spreading the word, and by engaging others in play with this extraordinary ball – have helped build a strong network of nonprofit partners around the world.

In Kibera, part of the sprawling capital of Kenya, Nairobi, a remarkable nonprofit organization called Carolina for Kibera (http://cfk.unc.edu/) uses soccer to reach more than 55,000 residents every year — in Africa’s second-largest slum.

In the organization’s own words, “Carolina for Kibera exists to develop local leaders, catalyze positive change, and alleviate poverty in the Kibera slum of Nairobi. Talent is universal. Opportunity is not.”

Carolina for Kibera (CFK) believes that the residents of Kibera are true development experts. Its ambitious young people have resounding hope and remarkable creativity. They have the talent and initiative to create real, sustainable change. Oftentimes all they need are the resources and some support network to help their ideas thrive. Soon, a quantity of One World Futbols will be among the resources available to this hard-working group.

CFK’s sixty full and part-time Kenyan staff runs programs that provide opportunities to make the community’s best hopes for its future a reality. 5,280 boys and girls participate in CFK’s annual soccer tournament.  Ethnic diversity is a requirement for
participation. To play in the tournament, each team must include youth of different tribes — a significant requirement in a country riven by intercommunal rivalries. Players learn teamwork and form strong friendships across ethnic lines. Tournament players further demonstrate commitment to community service by participating in trash clean-ups.

In addition to practices and tournaments, the “Caught Offside” initiative uses soccer as an opening to discuss reproductive health. Youth educators talk to players and game spectators about HIV/AIDS prevention in a casual, non-threatening environment.

Kennedy Juma, a CFK Sports Assistant, says the One World Futbols have been very eneficial for the 218 teams in the CFK program. “The balls are really lasting  particularly given the surface we play on, where there are lots of sharp bjects, and we don’t need to spend time inflating the balls. We received the irst balls in June 2010 (donated by the Sager Family Foundation), and they are sill being played. These are ideal for training.” He adds, “When a team’s regular’ ball wears out, they bring it to the CFK office and exchange it for a ne World Futbol. We then track the One World Futbols in use.”

The Carolina for Kibera pogram is the subject of a feature-length documentary entitled “Chasing the Mad Lion,” scheduled for a spring 2012 release. The film profiles youth from diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds as they navigate life and compete
for a soccer championship in Kibera. The film attempts to break stereotypes associated with people who live in extreme poverty. It shows how opportunity can bridge the gap between talent and success.

The trailer can be found here: http://chasingthemadlion.com/.

Also, CFK Co-Founder Rye Barcott has written his autobiography, “It Happened on the Way to War.” For more information, you may go to the website: http://ithappenedonthewaytowar.com/ .

CFK is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, a program of the Center for Global Initiatives and a major affiliated entity of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.