Irene Akinyi
Village: Kibera
Tribe: Luo
Business: Salon

Family Background:
In our family, we are six of us - four children and my parents. Three boys, my mum, and I are doing salon and my father does not have a job. I will be happy when I well hand that he has somewhere to go to work at all.

Essay:
Why I chose soccer is because I like to play and it has changed my life. I was a bad girl growing up and had nowhere to go. I started to play soccer in 1998, and then I gave it up in 2002 because I saw that soccer did not help me with anything in my life. In 2004 I came back to soccer. From that day I can come home with a little money so that I can buy food to my children and family. Football has made me see a lovely friend and good plays. There was a time when I could not get the money and if I went back home, everyone was looking at me - my family, my children, and that time I didn’t have it. Anything I could do, everyone went to sleep like that because there wasn’t money to buy food.

Soccer is important to me because of my children. I have two children, a girl and a boy. The girl is 2 ½ years, the boy is 5 months. I paid fee for my child from my salon and soccer. In my life, I cannot stop playing soccer because it has helped me with so many things in life and makes me a better person. I can take care of my children and my family.

I like soccer for making me a have a good job in life and for being a good mother to my children. Thank you so much to put us together as one family. We have known each of us in the term. God bless you so much and I am happy for this. Thanks.