Blind football in Kenya

There are 17,000 blind children in Kenya, but only six specialist schools in the whole country. Blind and visually impaired children often grow up without the support that they need and find themselves without the education and skills to prosper.

Partnering with the Angus Lawson Memorial Trust has enabled Alive & Kicking to undertake an ambitious project to allow blind and visually impaired young people to take part in competitive sport.

Allowing visually impaired young people to participate in sport brings a wide range of benefits, from increased confidence and self-esteem to improved health and a sense of community.

Sound balls
300 sound balls are being donated to specialist schools across Kenya. These specially designed balls are being used to introduce blind football to 400 children and their teachers.

Alive & Kicking Kenya has been making sound balls since 2010. They contain ball bearing ‘ringers’ and players participate using their sense of hearing rather than sight.

Working with UNICEF and the local professional club FC Talanta, Alive & Kicking sets out to visit all six schools, teaching the students how to play blind football and organising specialised coaching sessions.

Blind football
Before a game or coaching session, the players gauge the size of the pitch by walking around the perimeter.

As is usual in blind football, the goalkeepers are sighted and the game has roles for the different categories of visual impairment – B1, B2 and B3. This allows students with varying visual ability to participate together.

Despite the difficulties of playing on an uneven surface, the coaches were able to train the students how to dribble, pass and shoot using the sound of the ball. Teachers at the school were taught the basics of the game and now have the ability to organise blind football matches themselves.

Effect
Grace Munyao Mungai is the school’s physical education teacher. She has been working with visually impaired children for 24 years and believes that participating in sport boosts the students’ self-esteem, encourages teamwork and improves their motor skills.

• To read the full article visit the Alive & Kicking website