MATHARE YOUTH SPORTS ASSOCIATION

“MYSA helped me to protect myself and finish my education... Now MYSA is helping me to support myself and my family.”

I come from a poor family with six siblings. We used to live near the community field where MYSA matches for the Korogocho Zones are played, and I could see everyone playing football. This inspired me to join MYSA in 2001 when I was 8 years old.

My father died in 2006 when I was in Form 2. With seven children and no income, it was very hard for my mother and I knew she would be unable to pay for my school fees. Without support, I thought I would have to drop out of school and I felt extremely vulnerable. Many young girls in that position are forced to take risks to support themselves, such as entering prostitution where they are especially at risk of HIV.

MYSA helped me to protect myself and finish my education – I won the MYSA scholarship twice! This helped me through school. Now MYSA is helping me to support myself and my family. Today I play for Mathare United Women’s F.C., which gives me a salary each month. This makes me so happy because it means I can send a little money to my mother to help her, and it has also allowed me to enter college to study a course in food production.