Hello and thank you for visiting my fundraising page!

As you may know, I will be in Africa from March 16th to July 22nd. For much of April, May, and June, I will be volunteering with an organization called Coaches Across Continents (check out the video to the left!) in Kenya and Uganda, doing sport-for-development work with several local organizations.

Coaches Across Continents has requested that I fundraise to cover both my living expenses while I am working with their organization and also to help support sustainable programs in the communities we are working with. The goal that they have set for each coach is $6,600. All the money I raise goes directly to Coaches Across Continents, a 501(c)(3) charity, who will then help reimburse me for my living expenses and delegate funds to partner organizations in Kenya and Uganda. Donating through this website is simple, fast and totally secure. 

If you want some more info about who Coaches Across Continents works with, below is a brief overview of the programs that I will be working with during my stint with Coaches Across Continents:

Society Empowerment Project (SEP)

Based in western Kenya, SEP is providing hope to a region ravaged by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. With Kenya’s highest rate of infection, the Nyanza Province faces high child and adult mortality, large number of AIDS orphans and poor educational opportunities. In this context, a group of volunteers from Oyugis founded SEP in 2004 to give back to their community. Using football to attract young people, SEP provides life skills, sports leadership and management training. In addition, it works closely with AIDS awareness and treatment groups and local schools to provide young people with training to reduce the level of infection.

Vijana Amani Pamoja (VAP)

VAP operates in an area of Nairobi called Eastlands. The youth in Eastlands face a myriad of challenges, such as the lure of drug abuse, unemployment, violence and HIV/AIDS. Through VAP the youth of Eastlands are able to participate in various activities that include peer education and active learning. Such activities help engage the disadvantaged children of Eastlands in issues that directly effect them, such as learning the ways of combating the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Carolina for Kibera (CFK)

I volunteered with CFK last summer in Kibera, the largest slum in East Africa, which is located in Nairobi. Run by Kenyans and advised by American and Kenyan volunteers, CFK’s primary mission is to promote youth leadership and ethnic and gender cooperation in Kibera through sports, young women’s empowerment, and community development. The CFK Youth Sports Program uses soccer as a tool to engage the youth of Kibera to reduce ethnic tension and violence, promote peace, and teach conflict management, community service, and healthy lifestyle choices. I'm extremely excited to have Coaches Across Continents come work with CFK to help implement new coaching and learning techniques within the Youth Sports Program.

Kisumu Youth Football Association (KYFA)

KYFA is built around two pillars. Firstly they believe that by creating an enabling environment for competition, young people will be encouraged to form a football team for which children and youth are recruited with whom they train every day in preparation for the weekly competition matches. Secondly, they believe that the teams are avenues for and their leaders are agents of youth development. By building their capacity, KYFA pursues to improve the welfare of children and youth. KYFA teams ideally turn into positive peer groups recognized throughout the community.

New Hope Orphanage/Straight Talk

New Hope Orphanage provides food, healthcare, education, and a home to 71 children in Busia, Uganda, a transient border community characterized by high HIV rates and a thriving sex trade. The Straight Talk Foundation is a Ugandan organization that aims, through its communications projects, to increase the understanding of adolescence, sexuality, and reproductive health, and to promote the adoption of safer sex practices. New Hope and Straight Talk have joined forces to reach out to the community of Busia using soccer education for social development. 

Thank you SO MUCH for your support -- and don't forget to forward this to anyone who you think might want to donate too!