Engaging youth through soccer

In Kenya, soccer tops the list attracting a massive following, especially among young people. A football match was organized under the "Conflict Prevention, Peace and Economic activities for youth" project with the aim of improving relations between youth from Majengo and Shella in Malindi, Kilifi County. This follows reports of rivalry among the two groups that saw retaliatory attacks. Thereafter, a dialogue was organized to engage the youth and security actors to improve the relationship between the two groups.

“The match was a golden opportunity for us to interact. For a while now, youth from Maweni (Zaragoza) have not been participating in any serious matches, yet the love for the game is huge,” said Mudh-Hir Adnan, Coach Team Zaragoza. “I loved that after the match we had the opportunity to air out our grievances with the security actors, sometimes we just misunderstand one another yet we can sit at a table and come to a common understanding,” Mudh-Hir added.

Majengo United won the match with four goals against Zaragoza. Amin Fadhil Ali is a striker with Majengo United. ‘"I'm happy that we got to participate in the match today. My request to Kenya Red Cross and the European Union is to facilitate a League to keep young people engaged and grow their talents,” said Amin Fadhil. “Many young people here have talents but lack someone to help them nurture and grow them. So we end up frustrated, no jobs and finally some find themselves in crime, drugs or even joining illegal groups like Alshabaab,” Fadhil continued.

Kenya Red Cross Society with funding from the European Union is implementing the above-mentioned project with a focus on increasing peace and stability in Kenya through empowering young people. One of the expected results of the project is to enhance the understanding of the causes of conflict through analysis of the underlying drivers of conflict, the effects of grievances and needs on youth.