Youth Sport Uganda (YSU)

Qui sommes-nous

Youth Sport Uganda (YSU), founded in 2006, is a Sports for Development Organization based in Kampala, Uganda. YSU run sports programs for young boys and girls from impoverished backgrounds which provide stability, opportunity and a chance to excel.

The YSU concept is based on this belief, that sport with a positive orientation, when integrated into the broader framework of human and social development goals and priorities, is a powerful vehicle for change. As almost every child in Uganda participates in sport, either through merely watching or actually playing, sport presents a medium of communication that children and youth are both familiar with, and willing to participate in.

Mission
To remove barriers that prevents underprivileged adolescents and youth in the low-income demographic from playing organized sport

Since 2006, YSU has helped thousands of children from different social, economic and religious backgrounds form friendships and, crucially, learn important health issues including HIV/AIDs awareness. YSU has continued to promote health and education messages to children across the country. YSU has turned its simple sports programmes into "sport in development" initiatives. Thus it has been able to promote inclusion in sports for girls to help them stay in school by building their pride and athleticism in order that they are better informed to avoid, for example, teen pregnancy.

Programs:
• Beads Project: The Beads Project is a group of 50 women between the ages of 15-25, living in the Acholi Quarter slum of Kampala, who have come together to make beads and crafts. This project provides a vital source of income for these at-risk women. It often covers their school fees in addition to helping to provide for themselves and their families. Their colourful bracelets and necklaces are sold in markets throughout the city. This project does more than provide an income; it is also a place for these girls and women to develop friendships and gain guidance and support from the group. The Beads Project empowers young, at-risk women by giving them a steady source of income and enabling them to take control of their lives.
• Child Sponsorship: Sponsoring a child means partnering with YSU to rescue vulnerable children from poverty and destitution, restoring them to a life filled with hope and a future.
• Equipment Distribution: This program aims at removing financial barriers for kids to play competitive sport. YSU receives new and used sports equipment from friends and well-wishers, then distributes them freely to the kids who want to play sport but cannot afford to.
• Envirosport: This is a YSU Initiative that aims to raise awareness on issues related to Environmental Conservation. The programme uses Sport to educate young people and communities on how to protect nature, the environment and ultimately encourage communities to plant trees, clear garbage, and guard their surroundings.
• Girlsport: This program empowers girls through sport program by training and equipping them with skills and knowledge to pursue equality. It strives to empower girls by building physical resources, and giving them social recognition, YSU organizes Camps, Clinics and Tournament for girls throughout the year.

Volunteers play an important role in the success of our work.

Joshua Opolot is the Executive Director of Youth Sport Uganda (YSU).

For other net participants we can offer an expert guidance through trained staff, give an expert opinion, procure expert information and establish new contacts in the field of our work.