Kick For Purpose: Football With a Point to Prove

On 22 August, youth teams from across Mathare are meeting at Why Not Grounds in Mashimoni for a football tournament. Our partner, the Mathare Community Anti Drugs Organization (MCADO), calls it Kick For Purpose, and the point is right there in the name: playing football, kicking drugs.

There will be trophies and the games will be competitive. But the day is about more than who lifts the cup, and that’s exactly why we wanted to share it.

Why football

Football already matters in Mathare. Young people give it their time and their pride, so MCADO decided to bring the message onto the pitch rather than into a classroom. The tournament gives them a reason to get everyone in one place, and a chance to say something worth hearing while they’re at it.

Drugs cost the community too much. They take talent, friendships and futures out of Mathare every year. Warning young people about that is part of the work, but it was never going to be enough on its own. Young people need a reason to say no, and something better to say yes to. Sport gives them both.

What the day does

Kick For Purpose is open to any youth team. Fair play and respect come first, there’s food, there are good vibes, and there’s a whole day of people who might not usually mix standing on the same side.

There’s more going on than a good afternoon out, though. Friendships, a sense of belonging, being good at something and being seen for it: these are the things that keep young people steady when life gets hard. A young person who feels part of something is harder to pull off course.

What sport teaches

Anyone who has played knows the rhythm of it. You lose, you turn up the next week anyway. You miss the chance, you take the next one. You learn that a bad day isn’t the end of anything. That habit of getting back up is worth more than any medal, and it stays with you long after you leave the pitch.

A drug-free Mathare won’t come from fear. It comes from giving young people lives that are full enough that drugs have nothing to offer them. As MCADO put it: say no to drugs, say yes to life. Choose sport over drugs. One team, one community, one goal.

Come along

We’re proud to stand behind MCADO on this. Whether you want to enter a team, back the day or just come and watch, they’d be glad to see you there.

Kick For Purpose Football Tournament

22 August 2026, 10:00 AM

Why Not Grounds,

Mashimoni, Mathare

Call 0720203621, visit www.mcadomathare.co.ke, or find MCADO on Facebook at MCADO Mathare.