Youth Sports Archives - Roots Ethiopia

Gooooal! Shone Youth Sports Project is a Win!

Our Shone Youth Sports Project has been up and running for a year and we are thrilled to share some of the progress we see playing out on the soccer field. Two board members visited the Hadiya Zone last month and met with the 22 boys and 18 girls currently enrolled in the program. These at-risk kids, recruited from local schools, are learning not just the fundamentals of the game, but the sense of pride and commitment that comes with being a part of a team for the first time. They have uniforms, two experienced coaches, and the guarantee of a nutritious snack after their twice-weekly practices. Perhaps most importantly, they are working hard and having fun.

Take star player Meselech Kanke, the 16-year-old striker and captain of the girls’ soccer team: Meselech is the youngest of five siblings and an 8th grader in the Shone village. Her Father passed away when she was a baby and her Mother relies on their small plot of farm on the outskirts of town to provide for her family. Meselech wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford the luxury of an extracurricular like soccer were it not for the Shone Youth Sports Project. Before she joined the team in 2016 she lacked not just resources but self-confidence. Today Meselech says she wants to be a professional soccer player when she grows up. After watching her moves on the field we see no reason why she can’t turn her dream into a reality.

Both the girls’ and boys’ teams have had a nice taste of competitive success. Recently, the boys’ team traveled to Arba-Minch (165km south of Shone) for a tournament. For these boys, it was a first-time chance to venture beyond their neighborhood confines. They didn’t win the game but their proud coach says the team’s sense of borders opened up in a profound way that weekend. We are so impressed by the boys’ performance and wish for them more shared adventures on the road.

We are blown away by these kids’ promise, on the field, and in the world. And we want to grow the program to live up to their enormous possibility. The teams had two heartbreakingly humble requests for the season ahead: The players need regulation soccer balls and proper soccer cleats to replace their old flat-soled Chuck Taylors. As girls’ captain Meselech explained, “Because the soccer game involves running on a hard surface, a decent soccer shoe is a must for all player.” Without new shoes, the kids are at risk for foot and ankle injuries, especially as the level of their play increases.

We believe in Meselech. We believe in her teammates. We believe in those boys who had the courage to travel far and play hard. Please email us at info@rootsethiopia.org for more information about the Shone Youth Sports Project.

To support to our community-based projects in Ethiopia, please set up a recurring donation to our general fund. Your continued support allows Roots Ethiopia to continually strengthen our commitment to vulnerable Ethiopian communities.

7 Incredible Things YOU Did in 2016!

I could not blot out hope, for hope belongs to the future. –Lu Xun

See the dream. Be the impact. Feel the success.

The 2016 sun has set an incredible 366 times, shining a light on all the ways your gifts to Roots Ethiopia have turned dreams and challenges into success. As we begin what will surely be another year of work to create lasting change in Ethiopia, we thought we would bring you a year in review, by the numbers.

Here are 7 phenomenal ways YOU turned local ideas into lasting change:

15,000 students and their communities were enriched through Learning Resource Projects that focused on making the school learning environment the best it can be. Desks, chairs microscopes, books, shelves, concrete floors, chalkboards, libraries for public use, the list is long. The impact is broad. The local community is inspired.
More than 8,600 community members received temporary food support during the months following drought-related crop failures. In the darkest of days, these food staples allowed kids to keep going to school and families to stay strong.
113 librarians and 39 science teachers received intensive training in their field to become better leaders and to improve their innovative use of local materials as teaching tools.
11 rural schools were recipients of new books in the local language(s). 6,000 students can now expand their literacy skills and love of reading.
175 students attended school with all-inclusive School Sponsorships.
40 boys and girls participated in a new sports-based program designed to develop youth leadership skills. The program includes uniforms, sports equipment, and instruction.
Over 300 women and men built their own small businesses that sustain their families. 19 Self-Help Entrepreneurs were in place in 14 project sites for the small business owners to increase their capacity to earn income, increase their self-confidence, and work for social change.

These accomplishments all began as the dreams of small Ethiopian communities. You brought the resources, and you stood strong in the face of the serious challenges that threatened the livelihoods of so many. You gave monthly, or all at once or both. Your hope for better lives for Ethiopia’s poorest families was the thread that linked possibility to progress.

Thank you for an amazing 2016.

In 2017 we will see change, growth, and new opportunities. In partnership with your commitment, here’s to the hope for a better future for all of Ethiopia.

Warmly,

The Roots Ethiopia Board of Directors

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Roots Ethiopia is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization working in Africa, specifically helping Southern Ethiopia. Roots Ethiopia supports community identified solutions for job creation and education.

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Sports Project Gets Vulnerable Ethiopian Youth Up and Running!

We are proud to announce the Shone Youth Sports Project in Ethiopia.

This project was inspired by an amazing young boy who adored sports. In his honor, the project will be instrumental in helping children in his home village of Shone, Ethiopia have the opportunity to participate in organized sports. The project has been underway for a few months and has been a great success.

The Shone Youth Sports Project is a community-based initiative designed to assist vulnerable young people to become involved in sporting activities, develop their personal skills, and gain positive insight and motivation for education. The project provides material assistance to both boys and girls with good sports skills who would otherwise not be able to pursue their passion for soccer due to severe poverty. The project design is organized to help these young people engage in nurturing activities that will assist their self -confidence and community connections. The ultimate goal of the project is to leverage organized soccer to help mentor and guide these young people.

School sports programs motivate children to enroll in and attend school and can help improve academic achievement!

40 young people (25 boys and 15 girls) were selected in Shone, Ethiopia (Hadiya Zone) for this project. The youth are now playing soccer together – outfitted fully with uniforms, equipment, a certified coach, and regular playing time. The teams are organized to compete locally and outside of town against other organized soccer teams.

Sport can cause positive shifts in gender norms that afford girls and women greater safety and control over their lives!

We are so excited about these teams and their future on and off the field!

Participants, volunteers, and coaches acquire transferable life skills which increase their employability!

Please email us at info@rootsethiopia.org for more information about the Shone Youth Sports Project.

Roots Ethiopia is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization working in Africa, specifically helping Southern Ethiopia. Roots Ethiopia supports community identified solutions for job creation and education.

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