Sports Help Save Children
The children in Uganda lead incredibly difficult lives. Schools were closed during the civil conflict in northern Uganda, and many people were put in displacement camps. Schools are finally beginning to reopen and there is renewed hope for the Ugandan people. In this brutal war, many of the children have been abducted and made to fight. Helping these children have at least a semi-normal life is challenging but worthwhile.
“These children have had their lives torn apart,” stated Edwin Odur-Luru, a physcologist. He went on to say, “The kind of help they need at the moment is psycho-social support to help them reintegrate into the community and into their family lives.” This is easier said than done, but many people are working extremely hard to help both the children and adults. They are discovering sports could be the answer to building a better future.
Sports are very popular to the people of northern Uganda because they give struggling people something to look forward to each day. Playing and watching sports makes them smile.
Through missions supported by UNICEF, sports like football, basketball and volleyball are being promoted among Ugandans in at least 50 different schools! These schools are primarily based in the Lira District. Sports programs have been implemented to help the children get their lives on track and get them to stay in school and get an education. Sports have had a profound impact on Samuel, a young child in northern Uganda. He stated that sports have helped him to stay out of trouble, think positive and do well in school.
Both children and adults are determined to put the past behind them and focus on performing well in sports. Unfortunately, the love of sports is often exploited by criminals. Children have been abducted because they go with strangers who promise to make them professional soccer players. In other cases, “agents” promise to make the children pros for a fee and then steal the community’s money.
NBA idol Steve Nash has helped organize a charity, Football for Good, for the children in northern Uganda. Nash hopes that this will help the children produce a sense of hope for the future. The charity opened up the Centre for Sport and Rehabilitation in northern Uganda in the city of Gulu. Nash founded this charity with Adrian Bradbury, who is the director for Toronto-based Athletes for Africa.
Athletes for Africa was the organization that created the Gulu Walk in 2005. This annual walk draws worldwide attention to the children and is symbolic because many children walk nearly 20 kilometers every night to avoid being abducted.
Football for Good will help the children find a safe place and feature sports programs as well as art programs and counseling services. Nash stated, “I started this foundation because I really felt the need to try to help people. As a professional athlete, you are in a position and given the opportunity to really have an impact on more than just your immediate surroundings. For me to be able to do that is something that is sometimes challenging, but always worthwhile”.
The organization also hopes it will increase the confidence for the children in northern Uganda and help make their communities better. Every child deserves to have the opportunity to do the things that any other person in the world can. Making the kids safe and happy again is the goal of this program and everyone else who tries to help the situation in Uganda. The people living in Uganda may be struggling to maintain a safe, healthy and happy society, but with the help of sports and these new organziations, Ugandans will be able to eventually restore peace.
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