No school, no football.

The story

In 2019, four Kenyan teachers in Kasarani watched boys disappear from their classrooms — pulled toward illegal fishing on Lake Naivasha and the drugs that ride along with that trade. They also noticed the one thing that reliably brought those boys together: football. So they made a rule that still governs everything TAFA does: no school, no football. To play, you stay in school and you stay clean.

What began as a boys’ football academy has grown into a community organization — girls’ teams and girls’ mentorship, junior leaders trained from among the players, and a community center whose library and computer room are, for many children, the safest room they know.

What TAFA does

Skills — football training and exposure matches, and alongside them computer skills, programming and repair, videography and photography, financial literacy and entrepreneurship.

School — scholarships through secondary school and university, tutoring, and the TAFA Community Center as a safe place to study.

Character — mentorship and Bible-based life skills, addiction support through peer education and home visits, and youth-led community service.

Results

More than 300 children and youth have participated in TAFA’s programs — staying in school, gaining mentorship and academic enrichment while improving as footballers and competing seriously, and being equipped for a successful transition to adulthood.

And the deepest result: half of TAFA’s leadership team came up through its own programs. In July 2025, sixteen TAFA under-15 players traveled to Gothenburg for the Gothia Cup, the world’s largest youth football tournament, and stood in the opening ceremony at Ullevi Stadium with teams from across the world. Most had never been on an airplane.

“From the village to Sweden — I still can’t believe it. Now I know the world is big, but my dreams can be bigger.”