You are hereJanet Karembo Konde
Janet Karembo Konde
I joined Moving the Goalposts because I'm a talented player and I wanted to become a better footballer. Soon I became active as a leader and I was trained by MTG as a coach and peer educator. I love coaching. I would like to become an instructor of coaches. I've been doing this in MTG since we developed our own coach the coach programme in which I worked together with a VSO volunteer. In future I would also like to facilitate these trainings outside Kilifi. At the moment I'm working as a divisional coordinator in Kaloleni, one of the former divisions, now a district, in which MTG is active.
My work is to coordinate all the MTG activities in Kaloleni district like the football activities, the peer led health education activities, community service etc. I assist the field committees that coordinate all these activities in their league fields. In Kaloleni we have five league fields so I travel up and down a lot. Every Tuesday I report back to the office and have input in the staff discussions in which we plan for MTG's way forward. In my district I'm the MTG representative who communicates with government officials, head teachers and sport officials. My work is important. Without a divisional coordinator the field committees can't run their activities. I have a busy job and no week is the same. Let me give you an example:
Tuesday
At 6.00 am I leave my house in Kaloleni. My daughter Frida is going to school and my week starts. I'm traveling to Kilifi for the weekly meeting with the football department. The rains have started, but the mud road is still accessible, so I reach Kilifi in time. The day is full of meetings in which I report back about the situation in my district. I write my report, account for the imprest in my district, budget for this week and share my plans with colleagues. Today we have a long discussion about. After work we join the girls who are practicing in the league field next to the office for a training session.
Wednesday
Janet coachingWe're having a meeting with a committee to organize for MTG's primary school tournament. Ninety six teams participate. More teams than ever have in an MTG tournament. During the final day I'm in charge of entertainment. I have to organize groups to do drama, sing songs and recite poems. In the afternoon I rush to Kawala B, one of my new fields, for a meeting with the players and to give them the fixture for the coming weeks. I cheer the "under 13 teams" that play their league matches after school has closed for the day. Scud Missile and Sharp Junior draw 0-0.
Thursday
The Primary School Tournament is a challenge when it comes to logistics. Kilifi and Kaloleni are rural areas: the distances between the schools are long, sometimes there are no means of transport and if there is transport the schools don't have money for the fares. I have to change the fixture fro the primary school tournament, because there are some teams that have registered late. I manage because I'm good in making puzzles like this. In the afternoon I go the Kizurini league field for practice. I go there to give the girls moral and to play football with them. One of the girls whom I have trained as a coach is coaching us. She is doing well. I can see some girls giving better passes than they used to do.
Friday
Today there is a meeting for peer educators in Kaloleni. Peer educators give information about reproductive health, child rights, HIV & AIDS etc to their peers: girls between 9 - 25 years who play football in MTG. In Kaloleni we have nine peer educators who visit schools and MTG league teams. The peer educators report back about their activities and plan for the next month. In the meeting I suggest that the peer educators rotate. Some of our fields don't have peer educators, others do have. But each team should get the same health information. The peer educator coordinator and the peer educators agree to rotate and we make a plan to implement it. In the afternoon I travel to Kinunguna. Although I'm a coach and not a referee I have agreed to officiate a match in the primary school tournament. As all the MTG staff is doing. The teachers have decided about the venue of the match. When I reach there I notice that the field is in a very bad condition. The grass is long, there are holes and thorny bushes. The players are not complaining. They enjoy the match and the trip to another school. They like to get to know other girls and to see where they are living and going to school.
Saturday
Saturday is the day when I meet the field committees. We discuss what happens in the fields and what needs to be done. We look at the matches played, the fixture, plans for community service and the toto mobilization in which we promote football for young girls. In the afternoon I visit Kizurini and Rabai field and enjoy to see the girls playing football and others being leaders. Like usually there are some challenges: players are coming late, community service has not been organized and the first aid kit is empty. Issues to solve next week!
Sunday
My weekend starts. But I'm also an MTG United player. The best MTG players are selected to play in the MTG United teams and I'm one of them. On Sunday we have our practice at the MTG field in Kilifi. MTG is my work, but the things I like to do in MTG are also my hobby. I love to play and to coach.
Monday
Frida is going back to school and I have time to relax, before another week in MTG starts.
