One year ago, I participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Wakiso Children's School of Hope. Fields of Dreams Uganda made a commitment to create a soccer field for the children at Wakiso School of Hope and the surrounding community of Wakiso. In June 2013, the field was a rocky playing surface not fit for an actual soccer match, but the children at Wakiso diligently practiced and played each day. After that initial ribbon-cutting the children and staff at Wakiso, along side the Uganda FoDU staff, worked tirelessly to create a beautiful field.
Today, another ribbon-cutting ceremony took place to officially open the field for the Fields of Dreams Uganda Kampala Tournament. District officials, Wakiso staff, FoDU staff, the FoDU Dreams Team, and the children of Wakiso rejoiced as the ribbon was cut and the first ball was kicked. A field seems such a simple thing to us. We are surrounded by soccer fields in the U.S.A. But, here in Kampala, field space is at a premium. Wakiso Children's School of Hope now was one of the premier youth fields in all of Kampala. Today, the stakeholders at Wakiso were filled with such pride to host the tournament at THEIR school on THEIR field.
As the first game got underway, the players on the U-15 Wakiso boys team were pushing hard to claim the first goal on the new field. Each time the offense got close, the crowd would start chanting the name of the player. Several near misses occurred, and the first goal seemed imminent.
First, a little back story. On a previous trip to Uganda, the team visited a soccer group in the Masaka district. The team identified a few young men with talent and skill. Due to our partnership with Wakiso, the staff of Wakiso offered these young men scholarships to live and learn at Wakiso. What a gift! One of these young men is named Paul...back to the story.
Finally, the first goal was scored...and it could not have been more perfect! Paul, the young man from Masaka, scored the first goal on the new field for his new community. The crowd erupted into celebration. The other students chanted Paul's name, and a huge smile spread across his face. The partnership between Wakiso and FoDU offered this young man a fresh start, and he rewarded his school with the first goal and a win in their opening match. I wish I could have captured that moment to share with all of you back home!
As the day unfolded, there were so many more amazing moments. Students demonstrated their artistic ability in a Music and Dance competition with native dances and songs. The level of play during the girls soccer matches showed a great improvement from the first tournament I witnessed last year. Our FoDU U-18 boys select team played a friendly match versus the She Corporate 11. The She Corporate is a team composed of former members of the Ugandan Women's National Team, the She Cranes. At the end of the match, our boys were victorious, 3-0. I was so impressed with the increase in their skill level and teamwork. They worked together as a team, fought hard, and came home with a victory. And boy were they proud! What a great opportunity to continue to spread the word about FoDU on a national level in Uganda.
The day concluded with our FoDU awards ceremony. Smiles, hugs, medals, trophies, and goats have all become traditions I enjoy. However, what will stick most with me from this day is pride. The pride of the Wakiso staff and students to welcome a community to their beautiful field. The pride of Paul scoring the first goal for his new family. The pride of the boys select team earning their victory over the She Corporate. Pride that was well-earned and well-deserved
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