DONATE FIVE TO TEN DOLLARS TO START THE LIKONI COMMUNITY FOOTBALL LEAGUE
How to Donate:
1. Go to : http://www.hatualikoni.org/hatua/
2. Click on Donate
3. Scroll Down and Click on Other
4. For Purpose, Write : Football...Put in Donation amount.
5. Click: Update Total
6. If don't have PayPal account. Go to: Don't have a PayPal account and click Continue.
7. Credit Card Information
Dear Family, Friends, Coaches and Players,
As you may already know I have been volunteering in Kenya over the past month and have had only one problem. I will not name any names, but there is this family of monkeys that try to steal my breakfast every morning! So far, one male has gotten away with a piece of bread, and yesterday that same monkey was literally a foot away from me as I hovered over my breakfast, protecting my meal (I also may have been screaming a little bit with my fellow roommate).
Besides the monkey problem, Kenya has been great. I have been volunteering with an organization called Hatua Likoni. Hatua Likoni is a youth-led community organization dedicated to alleviating poverty, under education and idleness among youth in Likoni, Mombasa. Hatua has basically been my "home-base", providing me with the support I need to establish the Likoni Community Football League, or L.C.F.L. Over the past month I have met with dozens of coaches, trained boys and girls aging from twelve to eighteen years old (every weekend I visit and coach with four different clubs), and have quickly learned about the trials and tribulations each kid and parent have to endure here in Likoni.
Here, life for kids is very different. Most kids go to school at 7 AM and do not leave the school grounds until 6:30 PM, or possibly even as late as 8 PM. Also, they usually have a half day of school on Saturdays. The only "somewhat structured" activity outside of school is FOOTBALL (soccer). Although these kids spend so much time in school, they still have time to play football AND with the little time they have, they still perform at a very high level.
The kids here are very talented, yet the only organization or structure they have is during practice on saturday and sundays. Right now, teams who train every weekend may play only one match a month. Teams may play three to four games during a month if and when a tournament is held, which may occur once a year. With this is mind, the coaches and I have made up our minds to start a community league here in Likoni.
Our goal is to start the L.C.F.L. by the first weekend in April. The league will start small, with a U-16 boys league, a U-14 boys league, and hopefully a U-18 girls league. The main purpose of the league will be to allow the kids to have a game to play every sunday. So far we have found three pitches, in an area of LIkoni called Dimbwini, that are side-by-side-by-side. Here, the matches will take place every Sunday at 10 AM, 2 PM, and 4 PM. This means three games on a pitch, nine total games, eighteen total teams, and about 324 total players. Our goal is to have ten teams for U-16 Boys, and eight teams for U-14 Boys. We are working on another pitch for the girls, but as of right now there is only two or three girls teams in the area that regularly train.
A league with 18-22 teams does not even come close to the number of teams that can participate in Likoni. However, we hope that the community will see a well-run, well-organized, and disciplined league. My vision is that once the community sees this, they will support the league, and the L.C.F.L. will grow. Parents and friends will know to come to Dimbwini every Sunday and watch competitive league matches. Businesses in Likoni will surround the fields to sell water and food during the day, and eventually the league will grow to U-10, U-12, U-14, U-16, and possibly U-18 for both boys and girls.
So, why I am telling you all this? The three pitches in Dimbwini need a little work. Two of them don't have goals, all three pitches need goal nets, flags, marking powder, and a small fence for the fans to stand behind ( watching a match in Likoni is incredible..the fans stand right on top of the field, and when a fight or argument happens during the match, some fans will run right onto the field and start fighting as well). Also, the coaches need to be provided with first aid training and first aid kits. What I am asking of you is to donate five to ten dollars to the L.C.F.L. This small donation will allow for a smooth and easy start to the league. I have spent only a month in Likoni, Mombasa, and I truly believe that a league here in Likoni will strengthen the community as a whole. In Likoni the passion for football (soccer) is unbelievable, there just needs to be a place to put it, and that place is the L.C.F.L.
Attached to this email are pictures of the coaches I have been working with, the kids I have been coaching, and the three Dimbwini fields. If you have any questions and want to know more about what I am doing here in Likoni, Mombasa, Kenya, or just want an update with the L.C.F.L. you can email me at : blevey88@gmail.com, or follow me on my blog at http://www.hatualikoni.org/hatua/. Also, I would like to thank the many people who have already took the time to donate soccer jerseys and equipment (MADISON, WI and COLUMBUS, OH..Thank you!).
How to Donate:
1. Go to : http://www.hatualikoni.org/hatua/
2. Click on Donate
3. Scroll Down and Click on Other
4. For Purpose, Write : Football...Put in Donation amount.
5. Click: Update Total
6. If don't have PayPal account. Go to: Don't have a PayPal account and click Continue.
7. Credit Card Information
Other Ways to Donate
By Mail:
Please make your check payable to FCNY- Hatua Likoni, and mail it to: 121 6th Avenue, 6th Floor, New York, NY 10013. Include "football" in the memo.
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