At the age of 8, I started playing football in school and also after school. I was not good at that age, but I had a passion for the game despite my style of play.

Dark times returned when we lost one of my brothers, who was mobbed. I was very young at the time, but I learned something through his death: do not keep bad company that could lead to danger.

Life went on and I made a habit of playing football. I spent the whole day at the playing field, especially on holidays and Saturdays. My mother used to scold me for this, saying "A habit once formed in very hard to break,” but she wished me good luck in football despite the quarrels.

My mum later died, after a long-term illness. This was the hardest time in my life. What made it worse was that Mum’s brothers refused to bury her on their mother’s land. That way, they could own the land after my grandmother’s death. This is one of the things that made us not pay visits to their homes.

After my mum’s death, I even ended up dropping out of school because life had become so complicated in our family. Another brother and sister dropped out of school and left home. Life had become hard without mum.

Good times followed later, when Mum and Dad’s wish for me came true. At the age of 11, I made a trip to Norway to play football. The worst thing was that Mum didn’t see my first big achievement in football. I will never forget my Norwegian host family, who are a part of my success. They offered to send me back to school, which I agreed to because all I needed was knowledge.

Back in Kenya, sad days came again when I lost another brother, who died of tuberculosis. Months before his death, he already wished that he would die. I felt so much for the pain he suffered for such a long time in his life.

Then my father died, too. An epidemic of typhoid swept through Mathare, killing my dad. This caused a great disaster to my family because Dad had not left any assets behind to help the family.

Life has been tough for me since I was young, but, because of the good company of friends, I have learnt a lot from this kind of life and I have made it through.

Me and my younger brother moved to the city with my football coach who had trained me before my trip to Norway in 1997. He opted to take us in and, even before my dad’s death, he was allowed to take care of us because Dad was always drunk. There is nothing strange about living with my coach because he is like an older brother to me.

Through his care and encouragement, we decided to start a youth group through football. We established it and even now we are still attracting more and more young men and women. Because of our youth group, we do not involve ourselves in bad company.

There is also something that keeps on driving me: people of the community who have been good to me. Just imagine that a parent comes to you and says “You are a role model to my boy and I want my boy to be good like you.” These are the things that make me be smart both mentally and physically.

Up to date, my guardian is my coach. Through his advice and care, I am still alive and going strong.

A new life, a new hope began after I realized that I can do it. “If others are making it, why not me?” I asked myself.

My advice to youth is to have a firm stand on what you really want in life. Otherwise you can fall.

Part II, Desire to Join the Earth Charter Youth Initiative

Hi ECYI,

My name is Elijah Kanyi, age 21, from Nairobi, Kenya. I am a member of the Mathare Roots Youth Group. See www.mathareroots.org.

I was told about Earth Charter International by Dominic Stucker, whom I met in Glasgow at the CIVICUS World Assembly, where I was representing our youth group. I talked to Dominic about our youth group and its community activities, which were interesting to him.

He also told me about the Earth Charter Youth Initiative (ECYI) and I was moved by what you guys are doing. I asked what I can do, so that, so that we can work together. Dominic gave me the ECYI Handbook, which has information on joining.

Back in Kenya, the other youth group members were enthusiastic about joining, so we are following the steps in the ECYI Handbook. I hope we will work together soon.

My interest is in community development. The Mathare Roots Youth Group is currently engaged in activities like:

• Training small children in the community how to play football,

• Acting, sending messages through drama,

• Creating HIV and AIDS awareness,

• Community service, such as visiting homes and doing clean-ups, and

• Tree planting around schools and public places in the community.

I hope we will work together and I will be updated about all of the activities going on in the ECYI.

We will achieve our goals in bringing about a “just, sustainable, and peaceful world.”

“United we stand, divided we fall.”

Yours,

Elijah Kanyi
Kenya
Mathare Roots Youth Group
www.mathareroots.org