NIKE & CARE SUPPORT KENYAN YOUTH SOCCER

GIRLS MEET AND COMPETE AGAINST TEAMS IN U.S.

A Kenyan girls’ soccer team made a stop at WHQ April 29-30 as part of a nationwide tour to meet and compete against American girls soccer teams. The girls played two Lake Oswego’s U17 teams, spent time interacting with members of the teams and met with Nike VP of Corporate Responsibility Hannah Jones during their two-day stop near Beaverton, Ore.

“It’s just a great opportunity for exposure and exchange,” says CARE USA Director of Sport for Social Change Wayne Lifshitz. “You really see the social interaction and cultural component. It’s like a real-life history lesson.”

The Kenyan American Soccer Exchange (KASE) traveled to Atlanta to participate in a training clinic and an exhibition match against Atlanta Fire United on May 1. Upon its arrival to the United States a week earlier, the team scrimmaged the University of Alabama-Birmingham on April 22, and matched up against Real So Cal on April 24 and Rancho Bernardo High School on April 26 in San Diego.

Nike partnered with CARE, an Atlanta-based humanitarian organization fighting global poverty, and the Mathare Youth Sports Association (MYSA), a self-help youth organization linking sports with community service, to host the Kenyan team. Located in the Mathare area of Kenya, one of Africa’s largest and poorest slums, MYSA links sport with leadership training, AIDS prevention, cleanups and other community service activities.

The MYSA soccer program offers players a high level of training and coaching, and some get international experience. The exhibition games in the U.S. are in part a showcase of their talents for college coaches and scouts.

"All of us want the opportunity to come to the U.S., study hard, get a good degree, and go back to our country and develop it," said KASE player Victoria Kalekye.

It took much more than athletic prowess to make the KASE team. Girls were selected based on their academic performance and involvement in the community. In addition, many have fought social norms and significant opposition to girls playing sports, even from their own families. Their preparation exudes women’s empowerment as a tool for success in striving for gender equity.

"These girls have ‘won’ against the backdrop of the recent ethnic and social conflict in Kenya. Nike believes in the power of sport as a tool to bridge cultural divides, resolve conflict and empower girls and women. The KASE team is a shining example of how sport brings young people together to form a strong and united team in the face of such difficulties," said Maria Bobenrieth, Global Director of Nike’s Let Me Play program.

Learn more about CARE by visiting www.care.org.

CNN covered the girl's visit to the US. Watch the story.