Soccer, dust, dreams
A festival of feats in the heart of the Kenyan slums
"I am so proud. We are just praying that Chinese volunteers can continue organizing this soccer tournament," Adhiambo said.
The soccer tournament is one of the main activities of the Mathare Carnival, which was launched in 2016 by the Dream Building Service Association, or DBSA, a nonprofit organization founded in Africa in 2014 by Chinese university students.
Its founder, Yin Binbin, said he first came to Mathare in 2014 as an international volunteer to teach at a local school. The school was built largely from old sheet metal, prompting him to raise funds online to help rebuild it. That project became the starting point for DBSA.
Over the past decade, the organization has carried out projects in six African countries, with more than 500 international volunteers participating in programs ranging from arts education and talent shows to soccer tournaments, Yin said.
Beyond the field, the carnival also featured "Talent Chap Chap!", a talent show where students took to the stage to showcase their singing, dancing and other skills. An art program under the theme "Born to Shine" brought together students from 15 community schools, who created more than 300 artworks.
