MATHARE YOUTH SPORTS ASSOCIATION

 My name is Ellen Ellebo, and since eight days I have been at MYSA as a volunteer. I am from Sweden but live in Vienna, Austria where I attend an American school.

I had the opportunity to volunteer at MYSA through the underwear company Bjorn Borg which sponsors MYSA.

So far I have not done a lot of volunteering, instead I have had the chance to meet the Kenyan people and see the culture.

It is my first time in Africa and the culture is different from the Swedish culture which I am used to. Many things are done differently and the spirit and happiness I have experienced here is something I do not experience in the society which I live in.

I have visited four MYSA libraries and talked to the people working there. What I have found is that everyone is very positive about MYSA and strives towards helping the children.

I have also had the chance to visit the Mathare slum and the church in Mathare. It has been a great experience so far. Besides that I have also attended and helped with the different Leagues. One day I helped at the girls’ primary school league which was a lot of fun. The girls were happy to get the chance to play football and their schools were there to cheer them on.

So the question remains, what will I be doing the remaining three weeks? Mainly I will be focusing on the media and website and the children at risks program. I will help to train four members how to write article so that we can keep everyone updated on what is happening in the MYSA society.

At the children at risk program I will help feed the children and talk to them. The main goal of the children at risk is to bring the children back to their parents.

I am looking forward to keep working with the MYSA team. I have found that being a volunteer is something very rewarding because the people show their gratitude with joy and smiles and you feel like you have made a difference.

Ellen Ellebo