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Global Youth Partnership for Africa

by Fran Meckler

In Uganda I photographed the young female Namuwongo Soccer Team, which resides in the slums of Kampala and participates in Girls Kick It!, a program sponsored by the Global Youth Partnership for Africa, a non-profit organization striving to cultivate youth as members of the global community and as partners in development and advocacy for Africa.

The young women aged 13 to 25 are generally living in communities of displaced persons, HIV/AIDS, violence and poverty. This program offers education and empowerment through participation in sports. I witnessed the girls playing soccer on a field of potholes, dirt, grazing cattle and burning trash - this sight of a community of girls striving against odds was amazing to observe. They wore no shin guards, goalie pads or uniforms, often playing in their bare feet or the skirts and head scarves dictated by their religious beliefs.

Through their participation in Girls Kick It!, these women are training for the coveted reward of being invited to the Homeless Women's World Cup, held annually in various countries. The girls are gaining a passage from poverty while advancing their lives through increased self-esteem and developing leadership skills.

As part of my goal to help create social change through photography, my hope is that these images will make you aware of the plight of these impoverished young women. Despite the odds dramatically stacked against them, Girls Kick It! seeks to improve their lives so that they may fulfill their hopes and dreams.

Francine Meckler on behalf of Global Youth Partnership for Africa

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