Truly Inspiring Work!

Keeping contacts a Live
Last year 2012 in October, at the first ever East Africa Streetworldworld forum in Kigali Rwanda, Gichuki and Ojilo from TYSA meet Sara and Katy from Soccer Without Border (SWB) Uganda. These interactions created opportunity for greater understand about what organizations are doing in the region. As a follow up to this spirit, Gichuki from Friday 9th and Saturday 10th November 2012 visited SWB and Whizzkids for an exchange learning. Early this year in January, 10 young leaders form TYSA were hosted by SWB during its annual festival in Kampala.
Katy and Sara who are volunteers at SWB Uganda on 25th to 28th March 2013 visited by TYSA for an exchange learning. After two days at TYSA, they had this Lasting Impressions:
We are very impressed with TYSA approach to its beneficiaries and partners especially the schools. We participated in one of the secondary schools parents and students meeting. It’s here that TYSA shares its experiences with the parents
We have learnt how TYSA trains young leaders in different skills in order to take lead in the implementation of the activities. This is particularly important as it ensures sustainability of the organization and programs.
We are impressed by the fact that distance is not a barrier to TYSA outreach activities. We covered over 100 kilometers in a day
TYSA has built a strong trust with schools. We received warm welcome from the teachers and students. I could not believe that students follow instructions on the spot without delays and they enjoy every moment of the activity
It’s amazing how TYSA uses simple innovative storytelling to evaluate it impact in the community and its beneficiaries
We have crossed the border and heading to Mbale. Thanks you for everything. Your work is truly inspiring. Talk soon. Sara and Katy
For the two days Katy and Sara were with us, they had an opportunity to visit our beneficiaries and interact with them. These interactions rekindled memories of the past , opened new opportunities and lessons learnt;
Small but Big
When I was in nursery school, I learnt a game which I still played while in the university. I was impressed to find that TYSA is using the same game with children in the remote rural schools. Katy. This game is called on the river on the shore. This game improves the children’s listening, thinking and jumping skills. This game was used during the several activities contacted in schools that were visited.

A sloppy pitch
The St. Teresa’s form two students raised so many challenges affecting theme during the parents meeting. Katy and Sara listened attentively and through translations from Kiswahili to English, they understood the challenges facing the students. When the school management gave them opportunity to address the parents and students, Katy came in handy and shared this analogy. As footballer, you find a sloppy pitch and you have to play for 90 minutes on it. What would you do! Would you start leveling the pitch! Would you quit! The wayfoward is to adjust yourself to the pitch and achieve your goal. You must know how to balance in this pitch and what gears to put on. This confirmed what TYSA motto is: play, Learn and Act.
Control Ball ; Control Life
While in Uganda last November, Gichuki advised the children at SWB that if they can control a ball, they can control their lives. This was echoed by Sara and Katy to the students of St. Teresa’s Secondary school Tartar in West Pokot. It’s amazing how the girls are ambitious in life. They are talented in football. They are the Kenya champions 2012! TYSA has strong conviction and program on how to translate the skills and values gained in the pitch to normal ordinary lives of the beneficiaries.
Let Me Play
Learning almost came to a standstill in all the schools that we had games. Children came running to the field of play. Their eyes bright radiating enthusiasm and hope. Every play moment was highly participative. When the bell rung for them to go back to class, they were very sad and urged us to continue at for some extra minutes. Even the children from other classes were eager to join the games.

We have crossed the border and heading to Mbale. Thanks you for everything. Your work is truly inspiring. Talk soon. Sara and Katy