The teachers at Kashojwa Primary School in Nakivale Refugee Settlement had four ideas for getting their students playing and active. And today – Day 194 – is our fourth and last day at Kashojwa, and we’ll be focused on futbol (or soccer) which seems to be everyone’s favorite around here.
It was Reagan Tukkasibkle’s idea to upgrade the futbol facilities. “Boys, girls, it makes no difference. The most popular sport at Kashojwa is futbol,” he told us. Reagan and his team of teachers ran in the World Refugee Day 5k in support of their idea, and generous supporters stepped up to make it a reality.
There was a lot to be done at Kashojwa. Brush and anthills were all over the field, one of the goal posts was missing a crossbar, neither had a net and the field had none of the required markings. So, we recruited a team to help us.
A local welder got to work replacing the crossbar for the goal. And a few people began working on the field itself, taking out the prickly bushes that had grown up and knocking over and smoothing out the anthills. Then they measured out the field dimensions and put down the appropriate lines and markings.
While the team was preparing the field, we went shopping for the equipment Kashojwa would need. We purchased nets for the goals and balls and uniforms for both boys and girls. We also picked up the items they’d need to hold an official game – flags for the linesman, whistles and red & yellow cards for referees, and uniforms for the coaches, too.
They take futbol very seriously at Kashojwa, and now they have the facilities and equipment to reflect it.
Special thanks to those who helped raise the $675 to professionalize the futbol squad at Kashojwa, including: Sarah Mithun, The Stauffer Family, Karla Nagy, Clif Bar, Ken and Diona Jaslow, Jill Emmer, and Mark & Sara Wuellner.
