Around The Ball Project - Juba

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Around The Ball Project - Juba

Sudan
Organization type: 
nonprofit/ngo/citizen sector
Budget: 
$50,000 - $100,000
Website:
http://Facebook: South Sudan Youth Sports Association
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Project Summary
Elevator Pitch

Concise Summary: Help us pitch this solution! Provide an explanation within 3-4 short sentences.

Around The Ball – Juba, appreciates the fact that like a round ball, social problems are endless and cannot be solved all in a ago and at one place. However, they cannot go unchallenged. ATB - Juba recites the practical example of letting a ball to roll and then go where the ball settles so as to solve any mess that could be found there.
The project intends to organize Street Football games in places where street children are found, i.e. in the spontaneous open spaces near market places and under-utilized streets of Juba. This shall ostensibly be to build trusting relationships with the street children, their situation and relevant adults surrounding them.
Then whilst people shall be excited around the football games, ATB – Juba shall endure to become familiar with the children’s' world and environment and seek to provide responses to the needs and problems of children living in the street of Juba. The ultimate objective shall be to promote such children to become disciples of sustainable peace and development in Southern Sudan.

About Project

Problem: What problem is this project trying to address?

Universally, Street Children are faced with stigma, discrimination and human rights abuses. Those in Juba are as a result of many years of wars and poverty that have kept S. Sudan in a decrepit state. UN estimates that over 90% people live below $1 a day, a 15% literacy level and life expectancy at 42 years. These people are enduring rising poverty, hunger & tribal violence with women & children being most affected. In 2011, Juba might become the capital of the world's newest, poorest and least educated country, and might start off with little going for it. With Khartoum not being the common rallying issue, Southerners are likely to conflict along regional-cum-ethnic lines. Juba could revert to a garrison war town and its Street children become recruitment targets into armed conflicts. However, the diversity of cultures in Juba places her children in a better position to unite the nation

Solution: What is the proposed solution? Please be specific!

Current initiatives in South Sudan tend to concentrate on "soothing the victims" of past wars, not acknowledging that an independent S. Sudan after the January 2011 referendum, is very vulnerable to regional & ethnic clashes that will affect so many women & children. ATB-Juba demarcates the future Sudan from its past. It draws clear correlation between future leadership skills and sustainable peace. It aims to involve potential future warlords (street children) in sustainable social cohesion engagements and responsibilities. It targets 1,000 street children for rehabilitation and reintegration into main stream society. It appreciates these children as the future leaders of the new nation, and seeks to instill into them better morals, improved health and good leadership skills. ATB-JUBA shall organize football games played on a smaller field, with fewer players and fewer rules, right where these children are. The children and community shall be attracted for recreation & competition around the games and the small fields shall provide opportune avenues for greater social interaction. ATB-Juba shall adopt comprehensive approaches termed as: PREVENTIVE INTERVENTIONS: (strengthening the capacity of families/communities to take care of their children and education facilities to promote counseling services for possible drop-outs; encouraging youth over 14 years into vocation training, functional literacy, numeracy, & life skills programs; identifying opportunities to create income; and making the public aware of these children’s' cause) and; PROTECTIVE STRATEGIES (creating relationships with these children and surrounding adults; providing health care & education, establishing a drop-in centre, undertaking family reunification and school reintegration activities)
Impact: How does it Work

Example: Walk us through a specific example(s) of how this solution makes a difference; include its primary activities.

Since inception in August 1997, SSYSA has been able to: i) be appreciated by the sports world maps: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Sudan#Games_and_sports ii) engage over 1,000 players and volunteers in its football leagues annually iii) provide daily day care to an average 80 street kids at the War Child-Holland day-drop-in centre iv) attract partnerships with over 7 organizations and several groups v) influenced 5 street children into schools, dozens into organized football clubs, and over 50 into families/structured residences. With the ATB-Juba initiative, SSYSA hopes to: i) create local, regional and international awareness on plight of Street children in Juba, Sudan and the world over, ii) influence public and government policy towards Children in Streets Situation in Juba and the eventual the new nation of South Sudan iii) Prevent thousands of new entrants into street life in Juba and South Sudan iv) Explore and improve the FOOTBALL skills of thousands of youth in Juba and South Sudan v) Improve the living conditions, health and knowledge of thousands of youth of Juba vi) Promote and sustain peace for South Sudan This model is easily multipliable within South Sudan given that Juba is only the capital city yet several other towns throughout the country experience street children. These towns are more likely to copy what happens in the capital. A successful scheme in Juba can be replicated in other states, especially with the government's support. Football played in small spaces is very ideal for increasing individuals' social contacts and interactions. Gatherings around ball then provide a perfect opportunity for creating awareness on the child rights and attract concerted responses. The fact that majority of South Sudanese are ignorant of the rights of their children does not imply that they are intolerant and unwilling to participate in the rehabilitation efforts.
About You
Organization:
Southern Sudan Youth Sports Association
Visit website
Section 1: About You
First Name

Steven

Last Name

Kasamba

Website

http://www.facebook.com/kasamba

Organization

Southern Sudan Youth Sports Association

Country

, BJA

Section 2: About Your Organization
Organization Name

Southern Sudan Youth Sports Association

Organization Phone

+249 955 017 522

Organization Address

Private Bag, Kator, Juba

Organization Country

, BJA

Your idea
Country your work focuses on

, BJA

Website URL

http://None

Innovation
Do you have a patent for this idea?

Yes

Impact
Actions

ATB-Juba shall organize STREET SOCCER matches and events throughout Juba with the intention of;
i) building trusting relationships with the concerned stakeholders by creating contacts with all the children in street situation in Juba, identifying different groups of street children and their internal structures, and creating contacts with traders, police officers, & the community
ii) becoming familiar with the world of the children by mapping all the sensitive locations (sleeping, eating, working and substance consumption places)
iii) Providing responses to their needs and problems, both immediate actions and long-term processes, by assessing children needs/problems and case planning for rehabilitation & reintegration activities, informing & orienting the children on services available, promoting awareness on risk behaviors like drug abuse, early sex etc..., and providing medical care.
Thus, ATB-JUBA will use FOOTBALL on the STREETS of Juba to mobilize, create awareness, marshal and provide solutions to the street children’s predicaments.

Results

ATB-Juba aims to:
i) Rehabilitate and reintegrate 1,000 street kids into family, schools and labor market by early 2014
ii) Expose and encourage over 3,000 youth to participate in football annually. The best players can eventually be absorbed into established football clubs
iii) Produce over 1,000 peace ambassadors for the South Sudan by 2014
iv) Improve the general health of children living in the street of Juba by provide feeding, medical care, counseling (drugs abuse, sexuality, VCT, etc), and day care services to about 50 street children daily
v) Ignite the general public's awareness of the problems faced by street children and petition for their involvement in the rehabilitation efforts. Once the community becomes sensitive about the needs of these children, it provides them with greater access to available services and opportunities.

What will it take for your project to be successful over the next three years? Please address each year separately, if possible.

1 = BUILD GOOD RELATIONSHIPS:
Year 1, 2011 will witness creation of trusting relationships;
a) WITH Street Living Children; so as to:
i) create contacts with them by going daily to the streets/markets of Juba in order to socialize and initiate dialogue with them hoping to make them aware of other possibilities and convince them to change their lives. Building trust is essential since some children have had traumatizing experiences with adults. Family life, centre-based activities and residential accommodation shall be modeled AROUND FOOTBALL & counseling in the STREETS so as to encourage the children to gradually embrace them, and ii) identify different groups of S.L.C and their internal structures.
b) WITH all relevant adults who surround Street Living Children, so as to create contacts. This would include traders, police officers, teachers, parents/guardians, and the community + its leaders. This is to build basis for community awareness and involvement in the rehabilitation efforts. Consequently, stigma, discrimination and human rights abuses faced by such Street Living Children will lessen.
2 = FAMILIARIZE WITH THE STREET LIVING CHILDREN WORLD/ENVIRONMENT
In the 2nd half of Year 1, 2011 ATB-Juba would get actual acquaintance with the environment of the Juba street child by;
a) mapping of all their sensitive locations i.e. their sleeping places, sources of food, work places and areas of substance consumption
b) assessing their needs/problems and case planning for rehabilitation or reintegration activities,
3 = PROVIDE RESPONSES TO THEIR NEEDS & PROBLEMS
Universally, Street Children problems are spontaneous and cumulative, thus requiring both immediate actions and long-term process responses. E.g. a child knocked down by a vehicle shall immediately be rushed to hospital, while the one willing to go back to school shall require a process of planning.
However, both alternatives shall be used to:
i) inform the children on services available and orient them,
ii) promote awareness on risks behaviors by way of counseling/guidance (drug abuse, early sex, etc....)
iii) provide VCT, medical care, food, and accommodation
iv)seek rehabilitation & reintegration services
ATB-Juba shall realize these responses around;
a) Football matches/games organized in the street,
b) A day drop-in centre
c) Strengthened networks and partnerships

What would prevent your project from being a success?

1) Any outbreak of armed conflict prior or during the implementation period would imply cessation of civil activities. Consequently, a large proportion of our target group might be recruited into the armed conflict as child soldiers. No one can guess the duration and outcome of any such conflict.
2) Our operations are largely linked with local organizations and institutions. Our partners are also big boosters to our capacity and capabilities. Therefore if any of our partner NGOs and/or government departments opted to renege on the mutual agreements between us, that would greatly hinder our ability and qualification to optimally accomplish certain activities
3) Although most personnel involvement in this rehabilitation practice shall be voluntary and some services shall be sort free of charge, funds shall still be needed to entice these children with food/first aid, hire VCT facilities, purchase sporting equipment, improve playing space surfaces, construct a day-in centre, pay for movement/communication/refreshment and eventually construct a children-cum-vocational training centre. Currently, funds are availed from personal donations and this is not sustainable. If the project won't attract significant funds, the peoples' resolve might be weakened. Our future programs will mainly depend on volunteerism and funds.
4) An unpredictable trend on availability of playing spaces because of competition for open spaces from commercial and residential minded parties. This is particularly so because most of our target spaces are spontaneous open spaces and under-utilized paths/roads throughout Juba around which street children rest and which are very ideal for Street Football. However, most unused spaces in Juba are un-gazetted and due to increased interest for commercial and residential purposes, powerful characters in the society might eventually grab them.

How many people will your project serve annually?

1001‐10,000

What is the average monthly household income in your target community, in US Dollars?

Less than $50

Does your project seek to have an impact on public policy?

Yes

Sustainability
What stage is your project in?

Idea phase

In what country?

, BJA

Is your initiative connected to an established organization?

Yes

If yes, provide organization name.

Southern Sudan Youth Sports Association

How long has this organization been operating?

1‐5 years

Does your organization have a Board of Directors or an Advisory Board?

Yes

Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with NGOs?

Yes

Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with businesses?

No

Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with government?

Yes

Please tell us more about how these partnerships are critical to the success of your innovation.

i) Partner NGOs provide us with supplementary technical skills and capacities e.g. our current day drop-in centre and office facility belongs to War Child Holland; EMDH provides us with some capacity building services and technical assistance free of charge, Living Waters supplements us with accommodation for the S.L.C, while organized football teams absorb S.L.C players.
ii) Government departments are more likely to provide us easy access government services like legal documents, etc. Likewise Government-run schools, vocational training institutes and hospitals shall be followed upon to admit some S.L.S free of charge.
iii) Local businesses have first hand data about S.L.C who tend to mostly assemble around trading areas for food leftovers, tips and manual jobs. Such data is important for our analysis.
iv) Local businesses are also potential employers of our reformed youth

What are the three most important actions needed to grow your initiative or organization?

1. ORGANIZE FOOTBALL IN THE STREETS
- Identify the spontaneous open spaces and under-used roads/paths, areas where street kids leave, eat, play and relax,
- Prepare small football pitches on such spaces,
- Organize these children into teams named after their areas and categorized by gender and age,
- Arrange and schedule matches/games,
- Build capacity of the trainers, referees and group leaders
- Eventually construct street football pitches

N/B: Street Football is football played on a much smaller field (about 15m by 25m) with less players (4s or 5s) and fewer rules.
Around the street football pitch, ATB-Juba shall be able to build relationships with the children and with the community and assess the problems/needs of the children. Children shall be oriented on the available services and opportunities. VCT and medical care shall be availed.

2. ESTABLISHING A DROP-IN CENTRE

- Establish or otherwise construct a day drop-in centre
- Build our internal administration capacities
- Build our staff capacities to handle children
- Recruit street children into the centre

N/B: The centre shall be the administration unit and response base from where we shall offer day time feeding, clean drinking water, medical care, pre-education, VCT and case plan for rehabilitation/reintegration activities.

3. STRENGTHENING OUR NETWORKS
- Rejuvenate, reaffirm, renegotiate or reinstate our present agreements
- Identify, negotiate and establish new pro-street children partners

N/B: Our partners shall be organizations, institutions and individuals ready to provide free services or at very subsidized rates. Like:
i) Local NGOs will supplement accommodation, counseling & medical care,
ii) government departments, hospitals and schools will provide health, education and legal documents services
iii) Technical institutions will provide vocational & life skills trainings
iv) traders and football clubs will absorb the youth into the labor market and income generation

The Story
What was the defining moment that led you to this innovation?

Children in street situations in Juba are very visible. They are found in virtually each corner in Juba scavenging for left-over foods, consuming substances, violently settling their disputes and doing low paying jobs.
Southern Sudan Youth Sports Association (SSYSA), Living Water, Children of the World (EMDH, an international NGO), and Federal Ministry for Home Affairs partnered late 2009 to conduct an assessment of Children in Streets Situations (CSS) in Juba. The exercise aimed to understand well the phenomenon of CSS in Juba and establish a common strategy between these concerned actors. We found out that the CSS world in Juba was horrifying, multiplying and neglected.
On conclusion, individual organizations were challenged to initiate suggestions and actions that would arrest this situation. SSYSA formed what it called the "Mobile Team" with a view of getting concrete information about this phenomenon. The Mobile Team went further into the field, held retreats and exchanged notes. Eventually, the Mobile Team identified that there are two major characteristics:
1. Children already in the streets, and
2. Children with a growing potential of coming to the streets.
These challenges required two distinct yet related responses classified into:
(i) Protective strategies in response to those already in the streets and;
(ii) Preventive interventions to help minimize the number of new entrants into the streets.
Further breakdown of these responses revealed the simplicity of addressing the CSS problem, only that the major challenge remained in mobilizing and igniting the involvement of the target children and the larger community.
Having worked with football initiates and Street Soccer in Kenya for over 10 years, I recognized the power football had in pulling people to focus on an area and/or an issue. When STREET FOOTBALL came to mind, I immediately suggested that we take FOOTBALL where these children are found, in the spontaneous open spaces and under-utilized roads/pathways throughout Juba.. We should make the games as exciting and as competitive as could possibly be, and invite the public to participate in such games in form of audience, officiating, teams’ leadership and event organization. Then while everyone concentrated on the excitement of the games, our Mobile Team will gather all the relevant information and analyze case by case. Our Mobile Team will then easily identify cases for medical attention, feeding, rehabilitation, reintegration, etc and solicit for response and support from our partners, the public, the government, and other organized groups.

Tell us about the social innovator behind this idea.

This idea is largely a concerted effort of the Mobile Team group. Formed in January 2010, the Mobile Team is a pro-active initiative within Southern Sudan Youth Sports Association. SSYSA was founded in 1997 as a congregate of sports initiatives mainly football, objectively to address social issues & problems in South Sudan. It has over 50 youth teams, over 1,000 players and volunteers participating in its football leagues and attends to over 80 children on a daily basis at the War Child - Holland centre in Kator, Juba. Its social workers are James Wani, Josphine Ifone, Hanis Angelo Ebogbo, Moses Lomoro, Geoffrey Kasudi, Abudio Moodi Wani and Steven Kasamba.
The Mobile Team is largely partnering with EMDH and Living Waters in responding to the Children in streets situation. The main mandate of the Mobile Team is to meet and build relationships with CSS, Community leaders, police officers, traders, teachers, parents and guardians and to collect data for further management. The team is also supposed to draw responses to the needs and problems of the CSS, and drum up support in solving such problems.

How did you first hear about Changemakers?

Through another organization or company

If through another, please provide the name of the organization or company

Streetfootballworld