A secondary teacher takes on one of the Ebenezer kids
It’s the last week of break before the second term; the children’s brains are resting from school, hoes and slashers are leaning idle in their stores by late morning every day, and the kids are sitting around needing something to fill the afternoons. So naturally, the families decided to arrange a football (soccer) tournament between the six family groups.
On Monday, as you approached the Primary field, you could hear periodic cheering and the quick bursts of a whistle indicating a game had already begun. With five teams total (David and Worcester combined), two games would play every afternoon, an hour each, making a total of ten games before the Semi-finals the next week. Together, the kids, family parents, and the associates would compete for the championship: the distinction of being the best football family in New Hope.
Yesterday I was able to be at the Ebenezer/Pacific match. I was expecting a lot of slipping and sliding because it had rained the entire night before and into late morning, leaving heavy cloud cover; but fortunately there wasn’t a whole lot of mud, so the competitors were able to play well in relative coolness. It was a hard-fought game with only one slight injury. The final score was 1-0 in Ebenezer’s favor.
Some of the younger children play their own game during half-time
Not only are the contestants having fun, but often as you come onto the field you’ll have to find your way around spectators surrounding the field. The younger children kick around the ball and compete in their own small games, using shoes to mark the goals; and those who don’t know how to play (or prefer not to) still take pleasure in watching their family members work together towards a common goal.
Kara Peterson is an Investment Year student working with New Hope Uganda Communications. We are excited to have her sharing on the blog over the next couple weeks.