Rashid was born in 1995 in the areas of Kawempe, which is one of the slums in Kampala. Devastatingly, Rashid lost is mother when he was very young so he was passed on to his step mum. Unfortunately, it is very common in Uganda for step children to be treated very badly and Rashid soon found himself forced to live on the streets of Kampala, in a slum called Kisenyi.
Matt and I visited this slum during our trip in 2012. You may remember the absolutely heart breaking pictures of the street kids sleeping on the rubbish heaps and sniffing petrol fumes.
This is where Rashid found himself, totally alone at the age of 10.
Rashid was given a life line when Redondo introduced him to the MYDEL Youth Group. Feeling compassion for Rashid, Redondo soon took him under his wing and, though struggling for money himself, he sold his most precious possessions to pay for medication when Rashid was very near to death. It was when I heard this heart breaking story that I knew I had to help and I set up The Mydel Boys Home.
As soon as I started renting out the home, Rashid became one of the first of the 4 boys who stayed in the home. I remember seeing his face for the first time; he was so young but so broken, I could just see it in his eyes. All his hurt and anger was masked by a hard bravado and although I always tried to comfort him, he hardly ever smiled and I found it hard to connect with him.
Rashid attended primary school but he really struggled academically and found himself having to repeat primary years with those younger than him, which really knocked his self esteem. So Rashid decided to focus on the one thing he loved, football. Slowly over the years, Rashid realised that he could trust Redondo and I, and he became a quiet but strong character in the house, helping out with the transformation of the home.
I'll never forget the day when I greeted him with a hug, as I did every time, but this time he wrapped his arms around me, patted my back and he smiled at me for the first time.
Rashid won 14 trophies with the MYDEL Soccer Academy and he was top scorer in 16 tournaments, gaining confidence each game. At the age of 15, Rashid became a big football prospect and when he was named the team captain of MYDEL Soccer Academy he soon became the top scorer of the team, helping his team to progress from the second division to 1st division in 2010. In the next year he became the best young player of the division and the second top scorer of 2011 season. Rashid's name started becoming known in the area and in 2012 he became the 1st division league top scorer with 19 goals from 18 games, which attracted the attention of many super division teams.
MYDEL is having many Rashids today. Schools really value football as a talent, so our boys are able to attend fantastic schools because they have been granted football scholarships. Of course not all of our boys will make it in the professional football world but, with the support we are giving them and with a good education under their belt, they are being equipped with all the skills they need to create their own little success stories.
Thank you and Merry Christmas xx
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