My name is Mary. I am 18 years old and I live at the Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement. I moved here from South Sudan when I was very young.
Here at the settlement, I play soccer in WPDI’s Peace Through Sports program. I’m the team leader of a team of girls, all under 20 years old. Before I joined the program, I was very depressed due to a lot of trauma from the time before I moved here. I grew up in a violent context in South Sudan and I had no one around to help me cope with that situation.
When I joined WPDI’s Peace Through Sports program, my life changed dramatically! I enrolled in the program during the COVID-19 lockdown and I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to train with WPDI’s female coach, Molly. In the past year, I have definitely gained new talents and skills that I use on the pitch. In fact, I am now regularly in the starting line-up and I want to take my football game to the next level. As a part of the program, I have also enrolled in WPDI’s trauma healing initiative, and this has helped me develop emotional resiliency too.
Recently, I participated in trials to play with Uganda’s national soccer team, which were overseen by officials from the Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA). As one of the 120 girls from WPDI-supported soccer teams that participated in the trials, I showed the officials my technical skills and knowledge of the game. They encouraged us to embrace lifelong education and support other women in girls in achieving their dreams. This was very important to me because I know that football has helped me find peace.
During their visit, the women from FUFA provided me with comments and feedback that will help me further my sports career, and now, I know I have an opportunity to play for the national team if I stay focused on my development. I look forward to continuing to gain skills, and with them, I hope to one day be a star player on Uganda’s national women’s soccer team.
