Suba Lakers Finish 2nd in Nyanza Province

So close to the championshp, yet so far away!

 

This weekend the Suba Lakers Under 14 year olds participated in the Nyanza Province Coca Cola Finals. They had qualified for the Provincal Finals by winning their branch during league games that took place during May and June. The first and second place teams from each branch were invited for the Provencial Finals. Only one champion from the province would advance to the National Finals in Nairobi later this month.

In Pool A, the Suba Lakers handled Rachuonyo in the first match 2-0. They scored in the first five minutes on a penalty kick by Lencer Adoyo and then added to their total 10 minutes into the 2nd half on a goal keeper deflection that Phylice Akoth muscled back into the net. In their 2nd match the Suba Lakers took care of Siaya Township 1-0 with Winnie Akinyi scoring a goal late in the first half to put them in front to stay.

Pool B had many problems because the Kisumu Queens were held up by police for overloading their vehicle and didn't arrive at the field until 3:00 pm. Mwangaza FC and Nyamira Girls drew in the first match 1-1, but Kisumu Queens were able to do their business upon arrival dispatching both teams by a score of 1-0 in shortened matches.

The final pitted the two undefeated teams (Suba Lakers and Kisumu Queens) against each other with the winning team slotting their place at the Coca Cola Nationals. The big city girls versus their rural counterparts. The match started after 6:00 pm and, because of time, the teams only played two 7 minute halves to decide the champion; a 14 minute match. In the first half, Kisumu Queens got a breakaway opportunity. With the linesman raising his flag to signal offsides, the center referee completely ignored him and allowed the play to continue as the player dribbled into the box and placed it beyond the outstretched arms of the goalkeeper. With much confusion and controversey around the field, and even a consultative meeting between the center referee and the linesman, the goal was allowed to stand. The Lakers fought hard to create chances, but with limited time weren't able to equalize.

Kisumu Queens is a young talented team that should do well at Nationals. 
 

It was an unfortunate ending to an otherwise successful day for the Lakers. Both the boys and girls finals to decide which teams proceed to Nairobi were played after 6:00 pm with low visibility and the sunset interfering with the vision of one team and especially their goalkeeper. And they only played for two 7 minute halves!! Have you ever heard of a 14 minute football match? There were also issues with age vetting in the morning, and issues with receiving the promised transportation costs reimbursment.

Coca Cola is doing a good thing, giving the young kids a chance to play and develop their talents. The younger players don't get that opportunity very much in this country becuase most of the focus is on the older boys and young men, so it is a joy to watch young boys and girls competing in a competitive of environment. And it proves that there are many talented young players in this country!

The positive side is that the girls came in 2nd place in the entire province. They were encouraged to hold their head high, knowing they played their best, and were fair and honest. God has bigger plans for these girls in the future to honor their persistence, as well as honesty and good character. We are grateful for the opportunity for these younger girls to develop their talents and learn some good life lessons in the process.

Post Secondary Scholarship

Christ’s Gift Academy is now offering college scholarships to a few promising graduates! 

CGA is a Christian school for orphans in Mbita, Kenya which has one of the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence rates in all of sub-Saharan Africa at over 30%.  The school starts in Pre-School and goes up through 8^th Grade when they take their Primary School National Exams.  The first class finished primary school in 2006, and CGA Leadership decided to continue their sponsorship as they moved on to various high schools around the country.  Continuing on to high school gave these students, who come from very poor and disadvantaged family backgrounds, an opportunity to continue their education as they mature into young men and women.  When the first class completed high school in 2010, there was nothing in place to help them continue onto post-secondary education.  A few students were able to move on to University or other tertiary institutions, however most were not able to continue with their education because of a lack of money.  With limited options for their future, some students chose to get married at an early age while others, in order to survive, began working small jobs which offer little.

We are pleased to announce that in 2013 CGA is beginning a Post-Secondary Scholarship to assist some of these bright young leaders who have a lot of potential, but lack the financial resources to reach that potential. This first year the scholarship was made available to all previous CGA high school graduates; a total of 55 students from classes who graduated in 2010, 2011 and 2012.  Different from the CGA Secondary School Sponsorship, the Post-Secondary Scholarship will be awarded to a select few highly motivated and academically successful students who demonstrate great character.  To be eligible, applicants must have earned a C+ or higher on their High School National Exams and not yet started post-secondary education. 

Qualifying candidates completed an extensive application which included essay questions and references from their pastor and secondary schools.  A few unbiased individuals rated the applications based on leadership, potential, financial need, spiritual maturity and written communication skills.  The top 15 candidates were short-listed to move forward in the selection process.  Each candidate participated in an interview with a panel of distinguished Kenyan citizens from around the country.

This unbiased panel included a Christian university Professor, a Teacher/Director from an international secondary school, the Director of Kenya’s Compassion International University Leadership Development Program, a local pastor and church-planter, and a missionary.  The panel assessed each candidate based on the same categories as in the initial application, but also included church and community involvement, desire to give back, honesty and character, general knowledge/current events, and appearance and speech.  The panel deliberated and unanimously agreed on the top 10 candidates to receive the scholarship.

The Kenyan panel was very impressed with the quality young people that CGA has produced, but they were equally amazed at the difficult circumstances many of these students have overcome to reach this point in life.  All of the panel members were fascinated by the good work that CGA is doing in providing these young people an opportunity for a better future. 

The 10 young people who were selected have hopes and dreams of pursuing careers in computer science, information technology, teaching, business/economics and various positions in the medical field.  The scholarship will only cover a portion of the cost to attend college, but it is a significant amount that will open doors which were once closed. 

Congratulations to Evance, John, Lizzy, Martha, Moses 
Nicholas, Sospeter, Stephen, Victor and Wilfrida!

Several of these scholarship recipients will begin their courses of study in August and September while others may not start until January.  We thank God for His abundant blessing in providing for His children! 

Check back soon for pictures and bios of the 2013 CGA Post-Secondary Scholarship Students!