UEFA Foundation and the power of football transforming young lives in Kenya

Across Kenya, football is doing far more than inspiring dreams on the pitch. It is creating safe spaces for children, strengthening communities and opening doors that poverty, isolation and hardship often keep closed.

From the crowded settlements of Nairobi to the vast open plains of the Maasai Mara, two organisations, the Mathare Youth Sports Association (MYSA) and the Water4Wildlife Foundation, are demonstrating how the world’s most popular sport can transform lives. Both are long-standing partners of the UEFA Foundation for Children, which supports their important work that blends sport with education, health, conservation and community development.

Earlier this year, we visited both project sites to see their impact first-hand and meet the children and community members benefiting from them.

Nairobi: Where MYSA brings hope to children in Mathare

MYSA

Founded in 1987, MYSA was built on a simple idea: that football could offer young people growing up in the most challenging conditions a chance to flourish. The organisation has since grown into one of Africa’s most respected sportfordevelopment examples. Its youth programme even gave rise to Mathare United FC, Kenya’s 2008 league champions.

Today, MYSA supports more than 30,000 beneficiaries, supported by UEFA Foundation grants totalling €309,886 since 2019.

At the heart of this work is the MYSA Centre, a lively hub with a fitness room, multi-purpose hall, football pitches and four libraries. Many staff members once benefited from MYSA themselves, including executive director Edwin Wasonga, who guides young people with the same empathy he once received.

Education, protection and belonging

In Mathare, where 200,000 residents face daily struggles for water, income and safety, MYSA offers stability and opportunity.

Its Slum Health and Rights Programme provides HIV testing, medication, sexual and reproductive health education and safeguarding support – critical services delivered in a youth-friendly way.

MYSA's libraries, used by children of all ages, nurture curiosity and literacy in a community where schools often lack resources. At the Mathare North library, manager Charles Ajoe brings stories to life through reading clubs, author dialogues and even international exchanges. These encounters reveal both differences and shared aspirations among children.

Football remains MYSA’s beating heart. The organisation’s leagues, involving 1,745 teams in 2025, reward fair play and community service, not just goals. Yellow and red cards lead to point deductions, reinforcing respect and responsibility.

Many MYSA graduates return as coaches, guiding the next generation with care and conviction. In Korogocho, they work especially hard to keep girls involved despite social pressure, economic hardship and stigma around menstruation.

Maasai Mara: Where Water4Wildlife unites football and conservation

Water4Wildlife

Hundreds of kilometres from Nairobi, the Water4Wildlife Foundation is using the same love for football to protect wildlife and empower Maasai children. Founded in 2019, the organisation focuses on two intertwined goals: conserving ecosystems and inspiring young people to become future guardians of the land.

Together with the UEFA Foundation for Children, Water4Wildlife has built football pitches, provided kits and created a girls’ club offering mentorship, safety and skills development.

Clean water, safer lives

In the Maasai Mara, access to water shapes every aspect of life. Until recently, women often walked long distances to collect water shared with wild animals, risking disease and dangerous encounters.

“The water was dirty and full of germs, but we had no alternative,” explains community elder Stephan Parmuat.

Everything changed when Water4Wildlife identified a clean source in the nearby hills and installed a pump system. Suddenly, families had safe water and wildlife had separate drinking points, reducing risk and giving women and children precious time back in their day.

“When water is safe and close, children spend more time learning and playing, and women avoid dangerous journeys,” explains Water4Wildlife founder Christine Cherop de Harder.

A safe haven for girls

Girls in the Maasai Mara often divide their days between school and household responsibilities, with little time for play or personal development. The girls’ club created by Water4Wildlife offers a protective and inspiring space where they can learn about their rights, practice football, and explore environmental stewardship.

At St John Paul II Mission Boarding Primary School, teachers and pupils welcomed visitors warmly, proud of the confidence and opportunities the club brings.

A shared belief in possibility

MYSA and Water4Wildlife operate in vastly different environments, yet their missions converge: to unlock the potential of children through football and create healthier, safer and more resilient communities.

Whether it is a young girl in Mathare discovering her voice on the pitch or a Maasai pupil learning conservation through play, football becomes more than a game: it becomes a bridge to education, dignity, leadership and hope.