Former Arsenal star Pires launch multimillion sports programme at Mysa

ROBERT PIRES Former Arsenal Player Robert Pires shake hands with U12 Team finalists during MYSA's 19th Edition at the institution's headquarters Nairobi on Saturday, Dec 5, 2015. PHOTO: JONAH ONYANGO/STANDARD.

Former French and Arsenal star midfielder Robert Pires has launched a high profile sports and youth progamme in Kenya.

He launched the Sh47.9 million programme, meant to equip young people with necessary life skills, at the Mathare Youth Sports Association (Mysa) offices in Komarocks, Nairobi at the weekend.

The Sport for Kenyan Youth Employment (SKYE) expected to equip over 3000 youths with sports and life skills is supported by Barclays Bank of Kenya and will be implemented by International Youth Foundation (IYF) in partnership with Mysa and Arc Skills.

"This is a fine sports programme for the youth as it leverages the love that they have for football and impart them with market-relevant technical skills to improve their livelihoods and develop their financial skills,"Pires said.

Pires also conducted football training to over 100 youths from various clubs within the Mysa satellites during the programme launch.

The clubs included Mathare Cranes (Mathare North) , Wilberforce SA (Ruaraka),Glorious Junior (Ruaraka) ,Zaburi 123 (Mathare),Page Vision Babes (Mathare North),Lifting the Bar (Mathare),Despanol (Kariobangi South)and Jupiter (Kayole).

The young players were taken through paces in juggling, penalty shootouts, ball control, and passes among others.

SKYE is expected to strengthen the competencies gained through sports participation and includes leadership, discipline, communication and teamwork.

Apart from sports trainings, the youths, aged between 18 and 25, will also receive other life skills trainings on masonry, plumbing and electrical skills to be conducted at the Housing Finance Foundation at the Komarock Heights construction site.

An additional 2,600 youth will receive essential financial skills on saving, budgeting and local banking services in line with the newly launched Barclays ReadytoWork programme.

To qualify for SKYE, participants are required to have undergone at least eight years of formal education and will be selected from MYSA's 16 operational zones strictly on merit.

While praising Pires for being an ambassador for the project Barclays Bank Kenya Managing Director Jeremy Awori, noted: "Youth form more than half of Kenya's population and thanks to technology, they are currently one of the most influential constituencies in the society. As a bank, we recognize this and we are willing to make the necessary investments in order to provide them with the skills they need to unlock their full potential."

"The objective of this project is to address the significant skills mismatch and create a scalable approach that will result in improved lifestyles for thousands of young people," he added.

He also oversaw other training on HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention, child rights/protection and on water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH).