NAIROBI, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- Kibera Girls Soccer Academy (KGSA) is a grassroots organization that helps to secure the future of young girls in Kenya by refining their academic and sporting skills.
Abdul Kassim, who was born and raised in the informal settlement area, started his academy with the idea to lessen the misery of the vicious cycle teenage pregnancy, early marriages and the potential of street begging.
"Ours was a football program we started in 2000 aimed at breaking gender inequalities in the slums of Kibera. Over the years we have been training the girls how to play football," Kassim told Xinhua on Friday.
"It has really been tough, but the academy has given the girls a chance to excel in studies. When I started to lose them because they couldn't attend high school because of lack of school fees, I resolved to start a high school to offer them free education," he noted.
Kassim said that after they expressed willingness to attend school, he started the school in 2006 with 18 girls in form one and two volunteer teachers.
The following year the school admitted their next group of students and the school grew exponentially.
"We do not force our agenda on the girls. Before we undertake anything, we first consult them and hear their opinion because they were supposed to be the voiceless of the society, but we give them a voice by sitting down with them and addressing the challenges they face," he added.
With the support of individuals and organizations, the facility has undergone tremendous growth and now has four classrooms.
The academy's story has also been chronicled in a book, "Play like a girl" in the United States, when in August 2017, they presented the book to Ilhan Omar, the first congresswoman of Somali origin, who grew up in a refugee camp in Kenya.
From an initial 18 students, KGSA now has over 120 girls who are not only provided with free secondary education but also an opportunity to nurture their footballing and other creative talents.
In 2017, 32 students sat for the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examinations.
