Uganda join Homeless World Cup network
| Youth Sport Uganda join the Homeless World Cup network. Image: Youth Sport Uganda
Uganda are the latest country to join 70+ member countries in the Homeless World Cup Network
Sport for Development Organisation, Youth Sport Uganda, will represent Uganda
YSU support vulnerable children and young people living in insecure housing across the country.
Youth Sport Uganda (YSU), a sport for development organisation, has joined the Homeless World Cup network and in future years will have the opportunity to represent Uganda at the Homeless World Cup.
YSU was set up in 2006 with the aims of offering education, health and life skills to vulnerable children and young people in Uganda. Working with 6 – 23-year-olds, they have reached more than 30,000 children and young people in schools and communities around capital city Kampala and nationwide.
|Image: Youth Sport Uganda
They run various programmes which use sport to improve the lives of their participants. These include the WASH programme, a water, sanitation, and hygiene programme. WASH clubs are formed in slums to address issues like clean water shortage, poor hygiene, poor rubbish disposal and a lack of toilets. In addition to this, they also run a Menstrual Hygiene Management programme for girls and young women, where sanitary products are provided, and participants are taught about how to manage menstruation and personal hygiene. They also run a Skills Development Programme providing young people with key life skills.
YSU also represented Uganda at the Street Child World Cup in Qatar in October 2022.
Executive Director at Youth Sports Uganda, Joshua Opolot said: “We are thrilled to be a part of the HWCF. We hope to learn more about what other organisations are doing and to build our network.”
International Partnerships Manager at the Homeless World Cup, Zoe Hopkins said: “It’s fantastic to have a Ugandan representative in the HWCF Network once again. YSU has shown us positive leadership and innovative programming with their youth football, so we’re excited to welcome them as a new contributor to our skill sharing opportunities across the globe. This now totals 15 active members from the African region as part of HWCF Network.”
Despite efforts to reduce poverty rates, which have fallen more than half from 56% in 1992 to 21% in 2020, Uganda remains one of the poorest countries in the world and is ranked 166 out of 189 in the Human Development Index.
Find out more about Youth Sport Uganda and their work using football to transform the lives of young people on their Facebook page.
You can find out more about the state of homelessness and poverty on our Uganda country page.