Nathan on his way to the project site in Cameroon!

The holidays haven't been that quiet for the Football for Hope Program!
During the last month, four of our Design Fellows have relocated from Cape Town to their project sites to work closely with the community to refine the design and tender documents.
From designing for the humidity of a Cameroon jungle (which can cause a camera to explode) to the green farmland of Mozambique to the rough and tumble of Alexandra township, each project is a graceful response to the site.

Every day, Architecture for Humanity Design Fellow George Kinuthia works hand-in-hand with the loal community in Qwa Qwa, South Africa to assist them in designing and building the Football for Hope Centre there. In the video below, George outlines some of the challenges in the participatory process, such as figuring out land tenure, to some of the highlights, like boosting local leadership skills.

"Being a Design Fellow is tough but also really rewarding," George says in this 45-second video.

We are really pleased and excited to announce the opening of the Lesotho Football For Hope Centre. The ceremony was held last Saturday, September 24th when the centre was officially opened by the centre host.

We are moving on to the Phase III of the Football For Hope program with the start of 7 new projects.

There have been some big developments with the Football for Hope Program over the past month. Construction on the centers in both Rwanda and Ghana is progressing well, with practical completion expected in the next few months.

This weekend we received word from Design Fellow Killian that the Kimisagara Football for Hope Centre has reached the roofline. This means that our partner Esperance is just few weeks away from moving into their new center.

The organization uses football as a tool for reconciliation, but also to facilitate life skills training and education for Rwandan youth. The proposed centre is located within the heart of the Kimisagara valley; the most densely populated, disadvantaged area in central Kigali with few opportunities for young people and alarming school dropout rates.

Client: Esperance
Project Partners: streetfootballworld and FIFA
Field by Greenfields, Solar Lighting by Yingli Solar
Architectural Designer and Design Fellow: Killian Doherty
Additional Support: Tiffany Lau, Seung Jin Ham, Rui Peng

Check out our design fellow in the field, Axel Stelter's, last video update which includes a walk through of the now inhabited building.

Construction at the Oguaa Football for Hope Centre is progressing well. Our design fellow in the field, David Pound, reports that the scaffold frame, container alterations, and roof trusses are completed. The installation of bamboo which will form the exterior shading skin will commence shortly.

Kimisagara Football for Hope Centre is in its 5th week of construction. They've cleared several thousand cubic metres of soil and are now commencing with the columns and brickwork. Rwanda's geographical limitations and access to standard building material is causing some problems however with no two bricks being the same size. This has proven a nightmare for our design fellow in the field, Killian Doherty. He believes that Rwanda needs to embrace adobe and earthwork construction as a potential solution to this problem.

Kick4Life, the centre host, has moved into the new Football for Hope Centre in Lesotho. While there are still a few minor touches to finish up on the interior and exterior of the main building, such as connection of the main sewer line, finish work, and kitchen installation, it is almost complete.

Construction has started on the Football for Hope Center in Oguaa, Ghana. So far the site has been leveled and graded with concrete work on the substructure for the containers well under way. Once the containers, that will provide the interior spaces, have been delivered and the concrete supports have cured they can begin to be installed.

In addition, the bamboo which will make up the exterior skin has begun to be harvested.

Meanwhile the selection process has begun for the local Oguaa Street League that will use the new soccer pitch.

The bulk of construction work on the center is scheduled to wrap up by late August. For more information visit the project's project page.

Design Fellow Axel Stelter has sent us a video update from the field. Check out the latest progress on the Lesotho Football for Hope Centre in Maseru, Lesotho.

The Football for Hope program, Architecture for Humanity’s partnership with Streetfootballworld and FIFA to develop centres throughout Africa is progressing well. Its aim is to achieve positive social change by building 20 Football for Hope Centres, which provide public health, education, and football throughout Africa. The centers are being developed in disadvantaged areas in order to improve education and health services for the local community.

The success of the centres are showing in their impact on the local community. In Nairobi, MYSA, the centre host, has over 1500 teams in their football league. At Khayelitsha, the Siyakhona Project, a program sharing the space with Grassroots Soccer, is producing professional quality films made by Township residents. This Broadens the educational impact of the centre from sports, leadership, and health to include film making.