My

Story

Francis

My name is Francis, and I live in the Rhino Camp Refugee Settlement in Uganda. I was forced to flee my home country of South Sudan due to the civil war that broke out in 2016. Growing up in a war-torn country was very difficult. Access to education was limited, and there was not enough food. Unfortunately, the challenges continue here in the refugee settlement. Access to education and food remains a major problem, even though both are crucial for the development of children.

Being a coach is very important to me. I know what it means to suffer as a child, which is why I want to support the children here in overcoming these challenges. As a Young Coach, I have the opportunity to make a real difference and take care of the youth. I can incorporate educational games into my training sessions to teach children important lessons about health. At the same time, I can raise awareness of our challenges among other stakeholders, such as community leaders and partner organizations.

I train up to 312 children and adolescents. Fortunately, I was introduced to the concept of training Peer Young Coaches during the Young Coach Education. Peer Young Coaches help me coordinate training sessions while also learning directly from my experience. In this way, the knowledge taught during the Young Coach Education can be shared even more widely. One of my Peer Young Coaches is female, which helps including more young girls. This is particularly important, as girls often see our training sessions as ‘boys’ activities’. Encouraging girls to participate in our training sessions helps challenge gender norms and promotes gender equality.

The Young Coach Education taught me a lot. I used to think that football training consisted of simply playing a game, and that was it. Now I understand how important it is to have well-structured training sessions that include warm-ups, dribbling, passing, and shooting drills. This is not only important for the children’s health but also gives me the opportunity to include educational games that teach life skills. By creating these safe spaces, my training sessions have a positive impact on the entire community. Football is a powerful tool that can promote unity and togetherness. When we play on the field, there is no distinction between refugees and members of the host community. After the game, I tell the children: “The ball is round and has no corners. It is round so that it can roll across the entire surface. In the same way, peace should roll like this ball.”