On the 20th July, Ayiera Initiative hosted Slum Footie Tournament. This event is one of the AI’s social events that targets Korogocho slum community and which provides a platform for slum residents to learn, deliberate, and discuss the most prevalent challenges facing them in their daily lives, with the end result being to envisage or develop relevant solutions to some of these prevalent problems. Slum Footie tournament targets Korogocho slum residents, especially youths from across the nine villages in Korogocho slum, as they are the biggest victims of their surroundings.
This year’s Tournament was held under the theme “Tia Zia Bol kwa Mateens”, a Swahili slang which simply translates to “Stop Teenage Pregnancy”.
Teenage pregnancy poses significant health risks to both mothers and infants, disrupting education and in the long run increasing poverty. By raising awareness and educating the youth and community, the tournament sought to promote informed decisions and healthier lifestyles among teenagers and emphasise on community support to stop the vice.
Teenage pregnancy is a pressing issue in Kenyan slums. Research conducted by the African Population and Health Research Centre in 2012 revealed that young people in urban slums face significant risks of early and unplanned pregnancies. In Nairobi’s urban slums, for example, 116 out of every 1,000 girls aged 15 to 19 had given birth, with half of these births being unplanned. Such statistics underscore the importance of initiatives like the Slum Footie Tournament in addressing and mitigating these risks.
The Tournament involved competitive Slum Footie matches between youth from different villages in Korogocho, educational sessions and workshops in line with the theme. There were also educative and entertaining works of art from talented youths and children aimed at providing comprehensive sexual education, and raising awareness about the consequences of early and unplanned pregnancies.
From the matches, Githathuru villlage emerged champions and Grogon B ended up as runners up.
Slum Footie Tournament 2024 was a resounding success, thanks to the collaborative efforts of Ayiera Initiative, German Doctors and Good Vision. By combining the power of sports with crucial educational themes, the tournament provided a platform for Korogocho slum community members to address pressing social issues affecting them.
We remain committed to transforming Korogocho slum through such impactful programs, creating awareness and advancing knowledge to better our society.