SOLASA - SOLWODI Ladies Sports Association
In 2019, SOLASA was able to get 1,025 girls and women (ten to 35 years) enthusiastic about football. At the Eldoret site, new football teams were made up of 493 young women and girls. In addition, football programmes were always accompanied by awareness and educational activities at the sites located around Kisumu, Butere, Busia, Malindi and Mombasa.
Again in 2019, two Kenyan women took part in the twelfth international coaching sessions in Koblenz. The participants received a certificate from the German Football Association after successful completion of the course. This gives them the opportunity to attend subsequent international training of the DFB. The coaching in Koblenz was made affordable by the financial support of Lotto Rheinland-Pfalz and the Rhineland Football Association*.
A German sport shop made a donation to enable the purchase of fabrics for the training center in Eldoret. The trainees used it in the tailoring department to sew football jerseys and tracksuits for about 100 players. The project was very successful, as it was able to combine football and vocational training.
The SOLASA football program in Eldoret integrated 20 football teams in different football leagues. One of them ("SOLASA Queens") now plays in the 1st division of the "League of Federation of Kenya Football", the "SOLASA Falcons" made it into the National Premier League, four teams played in the "Branch League" and eleven in the district league. These achievements make the girls incredibly proud. They have become a role model and give many people hope that they might be able to make it out of poverty for once.
In addition to the official games, friendly matches are also held on a regular basis so that the women and girls can test and improve their skills. SOLASA uses these matches to inform the spectators during the breaks about topics such as violence against women, human trafficking, health and HIV/AIDS. In addition, all football players have formed self-help groups in order to receive further support through SOLASA.
SOLASA also plays an active role in schools. Here the girls are strengthened by football and this will have long-term benefits for the entire fellowship. The coaches inform them about their rights. In 2019, new football teams were formed at six schools.
The Kenyan Football Federation (FKF) in cooperation with FIFA offered training in the areas of leadership and development of grass-roots football measures. Some SOLASA coaches took part in this training. On the picture on the left, a participant is receiving her certificate.
The highlight of the year for the SOLASA players was the big SOLASA West Cup soccer tournament, which took place on a weekend in western Kenya, in the Eldoret region.
The tournament was financed by a donation of the foundation "Kick for Help" from Boppard. Two teams each from the regions of Kisumu, Busia, Butere and Eldoret took part in this tournament.
What an experience to all those involved! The motto of the tournament "Spare the Girl, Kick the Ball" referred to the increasing cases of violence against women and children.
Here, as elsewhere, SOLASA took advantage of its important mission to sensitize the general public.
The tournament was a great success and a follow-up is planned for 2020.
* https://www.fv-rheinland.de twelfth edition of the international trainer course has started