The Kids League

The Kids League (TKL) is a non-profit NGO registered in Uganda in 2004.

Aim

The aims of the organisation are to help boys and girls aged 8-15 in Uganda improve their lives using sport as a means to create education, health and life skills awareness.

Formation

TKL was founded by Trevor Dudley after five years of success with Kampala Kids League (Uganda) (KKL) whose talented kids have won 15 International soccer tournaments in the last six years. They were five times Gothia Cup World Youth Cup champions, Norway Cup winners, Haarlem Cup Amsterdam) winners, six time Tivoli Cup winners and twice winners of Football Festival in Denmark, this league is now one of the most successful of its kind in Africa.

Recognition

Trevor Dudley was awarded a Fellowship from Ashoka Foundation in 2003 for creating significant social change in Kampala. This helped to stimulate expansion of the programme in Uganda. Trevor Dudley was awarded an MBE in the New Years Honours of 2008 for services to children's sport and health education in Uganda.

Activities

The Kids League, mainly active in the country's northern conflict zones, provides rural districts in Uganda with the same quality sports leagues as those established under KKL.

Football and netball programmes that transmit health and education messages have been established in 11 Districts including Gulu, Kitgum, Arua, Pader, Lira, Apac, Kumi, Moroto and Nakapiripirit.

Over 25,000 boys and girls have taken part in TKL activities which aim to break social, economic and religious barriers down. TKL invite Kids from Protestant, Catholic and Moslem schools and mix with out of school children, orphans, street children, ex child soldiers and traumatised children to help break barriers down and bond friendships.

TKL have trained nearly 2,000 community volunteers to run the programmes.

The programmes are supported by International donors such as UNICEF, USAID, CORE Initiative, the WHO and UK Sport and local corporates such as Stanbic Bank, MTN, Western Union, Celtel, and General Machinery. TKL also encourage support from International Companies under their CSR programmes such as Nike, and Foundations such as Hewlett to partner with international donors. Several Schools, colleges and individuals also pledge support for this innovative programme.

In November 2007, TKL were honoured with a visit by HRH The Prince of Wales who wanted to see the successes of the programme. It was the first visit of the Prince of Wales to Uganda.

HRH Prince Charles visited the offices of TKL and met all the staff and 20 boys and girls representing programmes that KKL and TKL have established. Prince Charles lifted one of the Gothia Cup trophies and took penalties against one of the boys much to the delight of the waiting photographers. The Prince of Wales unveiled a plaque on the KKL office block to commemorate the visit.

TKL plans to develop further programmes across Uganda in the next few years. This includes construction of a National Children's Sports Centre; encouraging more girls to play sport; developing inclusive sports programmes that would allow more children with disability to take part in TKL activities; and to develop an income generating programme to manufacture locally sports equipment for schools.

External links

* [http://www.kidsleaguefoundation.org/ Kampala Kids League website]