Kibera girls in line for major cash boost & training from Manchester City

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FOOTBALL Kibera girls in line for major cash boost & training from Manchester City

Joel Omotto 07:16 - 06.11.2023

The two girls from Kibera slums have been nominated for Manchester City’s Water Heroes Academy which comes with several benefits for them and their community.

Kenyan girls Mercy Mwache and Pauline Njau from Kibera slums stand a chance of getting funding and training from Premier League champions Manchester City after their project was selected among five Water Heroes Academy.

The young leaders are tackling period inequality and improving access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) in Kibera where access to clean, safe water is a major challenge.

The two and their team are using the power of football to create awareness of water challenges and to educate girls on using clean water for sanitation and hygiene during their period.

“We are using football drills to create awareness to tell people about how to overcome or solve the water challenges,” said Mercy.

“Water is at the root of everything. We need water to cook, clean, and bathe. Every time a girl is experiencing her menses, she needs water to drink and to clean herself,” Pauline weighed in.

She added: "Through the project, we have shown society how to use clean water, how to reuse water, when to dispose of water, and ways of treating water.”

The Kibera project is among five football and water projects from the Xylem Water Heroes Academy network, spotlighting inspiring young leaders in Bangalore, Barranquilla, Nairobi, Tacloban City, and Washington D.C.

Voting opened on November 3 and will close on November 17 with the project that receives the most votes winning a special Manchester City visit to their project, including a visit from a club legend from the seven-time Premier League champions and additional training from the Cityzens coaches in the Football and Water Education curriculum.

Launched in 2021, Water Heroes Academy is a joint initiative by Manchester City’s global community programme, Cityzens Giving, and Global Water Technology Partner, Xylem, empowering young leaders to tackle water challenges in their communities using the power of football.

Around the world, young leaders are using football to provide essential education on water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) to their local communities in creative ways.

Each of the Water Heroes Academy projects also receives seed funding, educational tools, training, and mentoring from Xylem and Cityzens Giving, giving young leaders all they need to create their own unique programmes.

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