Mathare Youth Sports Association
This project's parent organization is Mathare Youth Sports Association
It operates in Kenya
It uses Football (Soccer), Dance, Table Tennis
Entered the Sport for Health and Well-being Award
More about Mathare Youth Sports Association
The Mathare Youth Sports Association (MYSA) is a community development organisation that uses sports to engender broad socio-economic development, while also effecting positive social change. Founded in 1987 in the Mathare area of Nairobi, home to some of Africa’s largest and poorest slums, MYSA pioneered the linking of sports with social improvement and community development activities such as slum garbage clean ups, environmental improvement and HIV/AIDS prevention. Thirty years on, it is now the largest self-help youth sports and community service organisation in Africa and is recognised as an example of excellence within the sport and development world.
Today, the organisation continues to use sports activities, particularly football, as an innovative and effective way to get youth involved in helping themselves and their communities. In addition, over the years the organisation has expanded its activities to include other sports and programmes such as arts and culture, table tennis, health education, photography and community libraries. There are 16 active MYSA zones throughout the Mathare Valley and neighbouring slums.