Polish Aid 2020: sports facility for the youth of Kakooge in Uganda
25.01.2021
In 2020, under its Small Grants programme, the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Nairobi supported an initiative entitled "Sports facility for Kakooge. Facilitating sports activities for children and youth in Kakooge ", under which we allocated EUR 30,000 to construct and equip a modern sports facility in Kakooge in Uganda, in cooperation with Franciscan Conventual Friars serving there since 2001.
The project was implemented in Kakooge – a village located in central Uganda, approx. 120 km north of the capital Kampala, near a primary school and technical school run by the Conventual Franciscan Friars, in a public area belonging to St Jude Catholic Parish. Thanks to Polish Aid funds, a modern sports facility consisting of an outdoor playing area for various team sports has been constructed and equipped. In total four pitches have been laid out: for football, volleyball, basketball and netball.
Through the implementation of this Small Grant, young people from Kakooge and surrounding villages were given the opportunity to spend healthy and active time with their peers. The need for this project, also seen earlier, was further highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic, when schools were closed overnight and children and young people, without participating in daily school activities, were suddenly left alone and exposed to dangerous activities. Parents and teachers, facing their own problems created by the pandemic, often lack the initiative to activate young people and provide them with the activities that can replace lessons during this difficult time.
The Conventual Franciscan Friars have found an answer to these problems. By making the land belonging to their mission available for the construction of a sports facility and by starting a program of group sports for the youngest children in the area, they motivated the youth to engage in healthy activities. The project prevented the possible negative consequences of the pandemic, and also responded to the expectations of the local community by expanding the offer of extracurricular activities for children and young people. Thanks to the sports activities organized by the Franciscans, the youngest ones of Kakooge remain active during the lockdown. The sports facility will also serve them after the epidemiological situation has stabilised, giving an opportunity for active and healthy leisure time and integration with their peers. At present, several hundred young people are already taking advantage of the activities offered in Kakooge on a regular basis.
Attaché Iwona Lula paid a monitoring visit to Kakooge on December 18, 2020.
