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It was a tremendous pleasure for me to participate in the streetfootballworld Football for Hope Adidas Exchange Programme in Nairobi, Kenya from 2 to 6 November 2015. The event was focused on monitoring and evaluation, and during the conference, I presented about Soccer Without Borders Uganda. The other participants were surprised by the successful positive change that SWB has on the community, and the immediate social inclusion that refugee children experience when playing soccer.
After listening to the host organization and observing the program, we were given an assessment. We were asked to give our personal perspectives and to do the monitoring and evaluation for the host organisation, MYSA (Mathare Youth Sports Association). Because I am comfortable leading SWB Uganda’s M&E system, I was awarded as the best in this task! Throughout the conference, we discussed the importance of M&E in fundraising. I also had the chance to hear about how other organisations are dealing with M&E. I learned much from my fellow participants and also felt proud as we discussed different approaches because I believe in the effectiveness of our organisation's M&E system. The participants appreciated hearing about the visits that we do each week to our participant’s homes because they allow us to identify the real needs of the youth we serve.
One of my favorite roles during the conference was translating for the network members who could only speak French. I was able to do this during various activities and then acted as the main tranlator on the final day for the entire training.
Overall, it was a wonderful experience and I am looking forward to continuing to stay in touch with my friends in the streetfootballworld East Africa Network.