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July 2010 was an unforgettable month. Like June. It was all about the World Cup 2010! It was great. For Africa, for MTG. There were only winners.... Almost. The sad news came from our friends from the Kids League in Uganda who lost their former programme manager Abriga Siraj in the bomb blast in a cafe where 76 people died.

June was the month we have been looking forward to. The MTG United under 16 team went to Moshi for their trip abroad and the Football for Hope team traveled finally to South Africa. But on a larger scale it was of course the World Cup 2010 that was the main event. The first ever World Cup held in Africa! And in Kilifi we could feel that we were part of it. It was not just us, MTG, being in Johannesburg, but also the video screening at our league fields that brought the World Cup close to the people in Kilifi.

Our goal was (and maybe still is?) a simple one: make affordable sanitary pads available to more girls in East Africa, starting with Kilifi in coast province, Kenya.  That is where MTG is based and that is where we have seen the problem of girls feeling embarrassed, shy, uncomfortable and hindered when they have their periods becuase they cannot afford to buy sanitary pads.  Instead they use cloth, cotton wool, pieces of mattress or anything they can find to soak up the blood.  It impacts on their school and home lives and it also stops some of them from playing sport. 

Most staff in MTG are already on leave after the planning meeting for January and the end of year party - a great event on the beach at the Baobab hotel.  I had planned to make a small thank you speech to all staff and board members but once the music was on (Bango all the way) there was no turning back.  The girls stopped swinging their thangs only long enough to receive their end of year presents in a flurry of cheering and exuberance and then it was back to the serious issue of dancing.  The fashion show topped off proceedings - with professionalism from the Nigerian Three