- 5000 kilometers South of Uganda, Spain kicks off against Switzerland during the World Cup in Durban, South Africa. At the same moment in Gulu, Northern Uganda, 2 football teams stand face to face to celebrate the International Day of the African Child and to play their own championship.

Hundreds of children from Gulu have squeezed themselves against the fence of the Cruyff Court to support their friends and classmates. The huge rainfall of some minutes ago has not prevented them from coming to support today’s teams with great enthusiasm. A friendly match between a team from Text to Change and a team from War Child, two 2 Dutch organizations working in Uganda, is about to begin. At 4 pm, when the sun has broken through the clouds again, the starting whistle sounds, while at the background the World Cup song is broadcasted loudly through the speakers. Along the field there are banners, the television station WBS and the Ugandan newspaper Observer to report the match.

On this International Day of the African Child, Text to Change and War Child focus on the situation of the children in Northern Uganda. Although the area has been stable for some time now, the impact of a 20 year lasting war with Joseph Kony´s Lord’s Resistance Army are still visible. Violence against children is still a daily issue, education is far below the desired level, teacher absence is high and the children’s’ rights are still violated every day.



The shirts of FC Barcelona and Feyenoord are flashing on the field. Both sponsors, of respectively Text to Change and War Child, have supplied the children with a professional outfit. All players are barefooted, and provide their supporters with a really exciting game, while the ball goes from one side to the other side of the court. After 10 minutes, War Child manages to break through the defense of Text to Change and striker Michael scores 1-0. Text to Change realizes that they have to increase the pressure and manages to score the equalizer just before halftime, thanks to a beautiful strike of midfielder Edison. After a second half without goals, both teams are due to face each other in a penalty series.

It is a nerve racking penalty shoot out. The Text to Change team takes the penalties slightly better with one goal difference and the boys in the FC Barcelona shirts are the ones to lift the trophy high up in the air. At the end of the day, the shirts were donated to the Cruyff Court in Gulu so that they can be used for future events. The most important victory for today is that all children were able to enjoy the positive impact of sports and were able to bring the problems of so many children under the attention of national and international media. A sound victory for the African Child!



Text to Change is a Dutch NGO that uses mobile phones and SMS to address health issues like HIV/AIDS, Malaria and TB in Africa
War Child Holland is a Dutch non-governmental organization which has specialized in helping the psychosocial needs of children who have suffered from war and/or conflict situations.
The Cruyff Court is a multi-sport pitch at Pece Primary School in Gulu. The facility is used by six primary schools to develop talent and act as trauma healing centre for the children. It will benefit at least 5000 children within Gulu municipality. The pitches have been built and named after Johan Cruyff, the legendary Dutch footballer.

The International Day of the African Child has been celebrated on June 16 every year since 1991. It honors those who participated in the Soweto Uprising in 1976 on that day. It also raises awareness of the continuing need for improvement of the education provided to African children.
In Soweto, South Africa, on June 16, 1976, about ten thousand black school children marched in a column more than half a mile long, protesting the poor quality of their education and demanding their right to be taught in their own language. Hundreds of young students were shot. More than a hundred people were killed in the protests of the following two weeks, and more than a thousand were injured.