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Ukraine's Blog

Welcome back to Team Ukraine!

Team Ukraine, aka Depaul Kharkiv, arrived back in Kiev at 1.15 pm today and are driving 500 km back to Kharkiv in their minibus.  I have just been talking to them, Erica tells me that they learned all the words of the football songs sung by the street children on the buses in Durban as they transferred around to the different venues, and are singing them loudly en route now! Hopefully the journey won’t take too long or they’ll have no voices left and won’t be able to hear anything!  They should get back by about 10.00 pm tonight. 

In the morning: celebrations! As well as staff at Depaul Kharkiv being on hand to welcome them, there is to be a reception laid on by the Mayor of Kharkiv too.  It is a great way to finish off such an amazing trip.  As Erica said to me: “I’m only just beginning to fully take in what we have achieved in getting our children all the way to Durban and back” and she hopes that the result will not only be greater understanding globally of the problems facing street children, but that individually each of our Ukrainian children in particular will have had an experience that in the future they can look back on and be able to say it changed their life for the better.  For us at Depaul, their return is tinged with sadness that they now return to orphanages – but our Depaul Kharkiv staff will be there to keep in regular contact with them and encourage them not to run away back to a life on the streets.

So “spacibo bolshoi” to all the children in Team Ukraine and the staff who went with them – thanks for being able to take part, in spite of all that got in the way of going beforehand.  I’m glad we pulled together to overcome the obstacles.  It would be good to be at the next one in 2014 – but by then we should surely see that some of the good intentions of governments and officials from around the world, drawn out by the 3-day conference at the 2010 Street Child World Cup, have been acted upon and have made a positive difference for street children wherever they are.  The organisers Umthombo and Amos, in joining together to find a way to highlight these issues, should be congratulated for providing a platform to make that happen.

Ali

Published on: 24. 03. 2010 | Read more »

Winners and more winners

A 1-0 win by the Indian team against the Tanzanians makes them the champions of the first ever Deloitte Street Child World Cup – what a wonderful feeling of elation for them.  And the Philippines won the shield for the runners up, beating South Africa 2-1.  But the most wonderful surprise for Team Ukraine was that at the closing medal ceremony they were given the Fair Play Award – it has completely bowled them over so CONGRATULATIONS to our fantastic young people from Depaul Kharkiv, you have captured hearts and minds.  Watching the short video of the matches and the closing ceremony, it was amazing to think that 2 weeks ago you were all in snowy Kharkiv, and there you are now sitting out in the sunshine, waving happily to the spectators and the press in the group shot!  We are so proud of you!

The fantastic artwork that went on show on Sunday evening at the Durban Art Gallery was also an opportunity to see how far all the street children have come on their journey of a life time, not just geographically but mentally too.  Erica said that one of the photos on display showed three of the children emerging from the sea after a swim.  One of them was asked to describe how he felt looking at the photo – he said it was impossible to explain “touching the ocean”, something he could never have imagined doing even in his dreams, and it obviously filled him with awe that he had travelled so far and been able to swim in such a vast expanse of water that covers so much of the earth’s surface.  He would have that experience always to look back on. 

Monday saw the final session of the 3-day Indaba conference on street child homelessness  followed by more activities during the afternoon, including a visit to the beach, and a chance to buy some souvenirs, then a delicious barbeque to finish off.   Apparently they all have at least one extra item to bring back in their luggage as well as souvenirs, a Street Child World Cup football! 

Today, there’s a last chance to go to the stadium again this morning, and for the teams to be together to say goodbye… Team Ukraine are heading off to the airport this afternoon, problems with flights home now resolved thankfully.  We’ll keep in touch with you on the way back, and get ready to greet you when you arrive in Kiev, then on to Kharkiv and celebrations there!  Safe travels – Ali

Published on: 23. 03. 2010 | Read more »

Final matches on Sunday

It’s Sunday, and today’s exciting final match in the Street Child World Cup is between Tanzania and India.  Team Ukraine played their last match yesterday against the Philippines – but although they lost they were happy to be playing football with their new friends in the Philippines team.  Erica says it has been great to see them all get on so well, its a real crossing of cultures in so many positive ways. 

When I spoke to them a while ago the match was still in progress – I could hear all the cheering in the background along with drums and singing! – so I’m waiting to see the result.  But as well as the football, the 2nd day of the conference this morning went well, with more workshops based around identifying the issues of street homeless children around the world and the willingness of governments to look more compassionately at their plight. 

After the closing ceremony later today, all the artwork that’s been produced by the teams during the week is going to be on display at the City’s Art Gallery – some fantastic creative work, and everyone is off to view that this evening.  Cameras at the ready please! Erica and our kids are going to bring back photos of all the displays – looking forward so much to seeing those. 

Next hurdle will be getting home… our flights booked on British Airways were cancelled… alternatives rebooked…. but not sure yet how well it’s going to work.  Watch this space, but best not to think about that at the moment!  Instead have a wonderful party to round off the competition. 

Talk to you all tomorrow, Ali

Published on: 21. 03. 2010 | Read more »

Happy days at Ferndale School!

Great to hear from Erica today about all the happenings during this week… quite some matches taking place, and although Team Ukraine hasn’t fared all that well in the goals stakes, here in London everyone at Depaul is cheering them on, and likewise everyone at Depaul Kharkiv too.  Team Ukraine, we hope you know that you are OUR star team! 

We’d like to say a special thank you to Rosaline and her staff at Ferndale School who have given such tremendous support to our team this week.  Children at Ferndale have welcomed their Ukrainian friends with such warmth, and our team are loving every minute of it.  Rosaline organised for Ferndale school children to be at the match on Thursday when Ukraine played India, and they all turned up with their faces painted in the colours of the Ukrainian flag, cheering them loudly from their corner of the pitch!  Erica also mentioned that three wonderful football coaches have been assigned to help the Ukrainian team, and they’ve really enjoyed the chance to learn more technique to improve how they play. 

Lots going on today – a rest day from football before the semis on Saturday – some fun time at the water park this morning, and then an event this afternoon meeting the Mayor and other officials in Durban.   Busy, busy, busy!  Well, good luck for the match on Saturday, signing off for now, and looking forward to hearing all the latest news over the weekend.

Ali

Published on: 19. 03. 2010 | Read more »

Leaving the Snow

We celebrate our last day of snow and ice for a while. We get strange looks in the local shops as we look for sun cream and sandals. The children have been practising their cultural evening presentation this evening and feel assured they won’t fluff too much on the night.  It’s a strange evening here in Kharkiv as we set off on our journey at 3am in a mini bus to the airport in Kiev.  We expect to arrive their at midday and just over 24 hours later in Durban. That leaves us time enough to talk about our expectations both individually and as a group for this amazing experience.  I don’t think the enormity of this event will hit any of us until the proceedings begin.  The children are starting the journey with a great sense of pride.  They have been on television and in the newspapers today.  For children who were unnoticed until very recently, they are suddenly catapulted into a large arena full of important people and goings on.  Our thoughts as staff travelling with them is to reassure them and maintain a balance of work and play.

Our next entry will be like most others in Durban. We feel all the positive words of encouragement from our supporters and are sent on our journey with the words ‘psivo haroshiva’ All the Best’ here we come…Team Ukraine!!

 

Erica Karpaiya – Team Ukraine

Published on: 10. 03. 2010 | Read more »

Children Meet Ukrainian Press

Today our team visited the Kharkiv Museum of Football. Quite an impressive display of over 100 years worth of Ukrainian football fame from the city of Kharkiv. The Head of Local Government was on hand to introduce the SCWC event to the press and present the children with a couple of footballs for luck.  Another local sports personality issued the goalkeeper with a serious pair of gloves (especially for saving goals) and the City donated a set of kit for the team.  A strong sense of historical pride was shared which the children have started to feel. Our team of 6 boys and 3 girls spoke quietly but excitedly to the press.  It was their first experience of talking in front of cameras and they have started to feel that something great is about to happen in their lives.  They also feel a strong sense of being representatives for their country and their nervousness showed, especially when they saw themselves on national television this evening!

The team are keen to get a bit more football practice in, so tommorow at Depaul Kharkiv Day Centre where they all meet together, they will get a final skills brush up and team bonding time.

Now we have to check if we are allowed to bring over a huge celebration cake that has been hand made especially for the event!

Erica Karpaiya – Kharkiv, Ukraine

Published on: 9. 03. 2010 | Read more »

Getting There!

Arrived at the Project for Street Children in Kharkiv at Midnight and greeted by staff/volunteers braving the icy dark streets to welcome my arrival.  Not because I’m a celebrity…oh no but because it is almost unreal to even imagine this event could happen for our street kids. They will need a lot of care and sensitivity to adjust to the reality of what they are about to take part in and achieve. 

They ask how they manage to adjust to the weather when they get on a plane with winter clothes and exit 3 planes later without looking like they took the wrong plane!!  Layers I say…Layers?  We take most of the off in transit and put them in bags to carry.  They are amazed, almost like making a discovery and relax again until the next questions pops up.

Published on: 8. 03. 2010 | Read more »

Go, Team Ukraine!

TEAM UKRAINE IS GOING TO TAKE PART!  Everyone at Depaul is thrilled that at last , after a lot of really hard work, we have got all the permissions and official documents in place, along with purchasing the flights for the team to get to Durban – in spite of a problem with our flights sponsor from Kiev having to drop out three weeks ago.  We’re working with Amos on finding replacement funding to cover that – but we felt that the most important thing is for our street children from Kharkiv to take part, and that at such a late stage we could not pull out because Umthombo and Amos have put so much into organising the Street Child World Cup.  For our Kharkiv team to be with street children from other countries and cultures for two weeks is going to be an amazing experience. 

Have just heard that Erica (our fantastic Depaul UK manager who is joining Natasha and Sergey from Depaul Kharkiv in Ukraine) has landed in Kiev today - in the snow! - and is boarding the train to Kharkiv, a six hour journey.  All 3 staff have 5 days to finalise preparations for our team, and they will all set off on Thursday by coach from Kharkiv to Kiev, and onwards by air to Durban, arriving Friday.   It will be a world away from freezing temperatures and snow, into sunshine and warmth.   Staff, volunteers, and so many people using Depaul’s services for homeless people, in several countries around the world, are following your story so GO TEAM UKRAINE! Good luck from us all.

Published on: 6. 03. 2010 | Read more »

Please support us

Endorsements

  • "I know from personal experience just what power football can have to inspire and change young people’s lives whatever their background or nationality. This is what the Deloitte Street Child World Cup is all about and I give it my full support."
    David Beckham, AC Milan and England Midfielder
  • "No child should have to live on the streets. I commend the Street Child World Cup for providing a platform for the rights of street children to be heard."
    Rt Hon Gordon Brown MP, Prime Minister
  • "The Deloitte Street Child World Cup demonstrates the tremendous potential of every single child, and especially street children, who are so often treated as less than human. I am proud that the first ever Street Child World Cup will take place in South Africa – and I urge all governments to guarantee the rights of this most marginalised group of their citizens to lives in which their promise is fulfilled.Quot;
    Archbishop Desmond Tutu
  • "When ever people come across me they laugh. It seems like my mouth is zipped because they talk for us. I wish they could give us a chance to talk for ourselves."
    Mbali, 15, Durban
  • "When people see us by the streets, they say that we are the street boys. But when they see us playing soccer, they say that we are not the street boys. They say that we are people like them. They are people like us."
    Andile, 15, Durban
  • "I experienced hardcore street life in my youth. I know what it’s like. I congratulate the Deloitte Street Child World Cup project in it’s commitment to bring attention to the plight of Street Children through the power of football."
    Manny Pacquiao, Filipino professional boxer, current WBO World welterweight champion
  • "The Street Child World Cup hosted by Umthombo is a wonderful opportunity to hear the forgotten voices of Street Children – often marginalised, this is their time to be heard and to shine on the world stage. From the football field to governments across the world, this is a chance to celebrate the talent that every child has."
    Thandie Newton, star of Crash and 2012
  • "The Deloitte Street Child World Cup will use this game, which is loved all over the world, to help give kids a fairer deal. No child should have to be on the street."
    Gary Lineker OBE, former Tottenham, Barcelona, and England Forward and BBC’s Match of the Day presenter
  • "I am delighted that the first Street Child World Cup will take place in South Africa where I know there is a huge passion for football. No child should have to live on the streets and and I fully endorse this campaign giving street children a voice to claim their rights."
    Sir Alex Ferguson, Manchester United Manager
  • "Football and footballers aren’t always in the headlines for the right reasons but the Deloitte Street Child World Cup harnesses the power of grassroots football to change vulnerable young peoples’ lives for the better across the world through the talent that they have. Good luck to all those taking part."
    David Seaman, Former Arsenal and England Goalkeeper
  • "I’m delighted to endorse the Deloitte Street Child World Cup. This is a fantastic ground-breaking event, aiming to win rights for street children, not only in Durban but across South Africa – and even the world! I’m sure that every team will be a winner!"
    Sir Cliff Richard
  • "I’ve played football as a teenager with the world watching me. The Deloitte Street Child World Cup is a brilliant project which will help hundreds of thousands of teenagers who have been forced to live on the streets by getting the world to listen to them and give them a fair chance."
    Theo Walcott, Arsenal and England Forward
  • "No child should have to be on the streets. I am proud to support the Ukrainian team at the Street Child World Cup. Street children need the chance to show the world their potential."
    Andriy Shevchenko, Dynamo Kyiv and Ukraine Captain
  • "It was a privilege to be invited to the launch of the Street Child World Cup at Downing Street. It gives children a voice through football, a platform to express their rights and celebrate their abilities – I’m proud to add my support."
    Wilson Palacios, Tottenham and Honduras Midfielder
  • "Seeing young people enjoying the magic of football is what the game is all about and I feel honoured to be supporting the event for street children taking place in South Africa. The Deloitte Street Child World Cup is a fantastic grassroots initiative giving a voice to street children through the positive power of football. It’s an example of football making headlines for the right reasons. Good luck to all those taking part!"
    Eduardo, Arsenal and Croatia Forward
  • "I am proud that the first ever Deloitte Street Child World Cup will be held in my country in 2010. Football has the power to unite people from all over the world and gives young people the discipline and focus to let their true talent shine. No child should have to sleep on the street. I am delighted that the Deloitte Street Child World Cup will celebrate these children’s potential and call for their rights to be realised.Good luck to all the teams but especially the South African team Umthombo from Durban!"
    Aaron Mokoena, Portsmouth Midfielder and South Africa’s Captain and most capped player
  • "The Football Association commends initiatives such as the Deloitte Street Child World Championships which use the power of football to make a difference to people’s lives"
    Lord David Triesman, F.A. Chairman
  • "The Street Child World Cup is a superb campaign, bringing to attention the issues faced by some of the most vulnerable children in the world"
    Edith Bowman, BBC Radio 1
  • "My career is testament to the global village that football has become. The Deloitte Street Child World Cup is a groundbreaking campaign highlighting the essential rights that all children must be given. From Montevideo via Brighton and down to Durban – let’s spread the word!"
    Gus Poyet, former Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur midfielder, Brighton and Hove Albion Manager
  • "South Africa 2012 will be watched by most of the World. The Deloitte Street Child World Cup is the ultimate opportunity for us all to invest in the grassroots of football. Great campaign."
    Sam Allardyce, Blackburn Rovers Manager
  • "The power of football in the community is undeniable and football is now a global community. I support the Deloitte Street Child World Cup in raising awareness and support through football for the most vulnerable in our community: street children"
    Owen Coyle, Bolton Wanderers Manager
  • "Throughout my career I have been an advocate of community development through football and the Deloitte Street Child World Cup is an excellent example of uniting through football in support of young people across the World."
    Alan Curbishley, Former Charlton and West Ham Manager

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