FOOTBALL4GOOD MAGAZINE | MARCH 2020

Like Dorcas, Everlyne was also pregnant by the age of sixteen. She was singled out at school and subse- quently bullied for the “bump on my tummy”. She too, felt scared, ashamed, and riddled with anxiety. Her instinct was to retreat, unaware of the dangers of social reclusion for both herself and her unborn child. Her only plan: “to dis- appear”. While the father, and fellow school- mate, distanced himself from mother and child, instead continuing to study, Everlyne dropped out of school. In a country where education is instrumental to accessing future opportunities, she be- came exposed to the ongoing cycle of poverty afflicting young mothers. Since discovering YES when the organisation visited her village of Buteba on a community outreach intervention, Everlyne has felt a distinct change. At her local football pitch, a short distance from her own front door, she has “found and made many friends”. Her internal shame has been lifted and she too wants to become a role model for girls younger than herself. “In my first session we spoke about the importance of education, the implications of dropping out of school,” she recalls. “We even spoke about the possibility for a young mother to go back to school.” She now feels comfortable opening up and communicating with others about sexual issues. She looks to Dorcas for inspiration who, after having her work recognised by international organisation Coaches Across Continents as a Community Impact Coach, now has plans to continue her training and potentially coach abroad. Now Everlyne can envision a brighter future. On the advice of YES she remains a member of the Adolescent Health Club and is now back in education, determined to study at university. Like Dorcas, with the knowledge she has obtained has come autonomy in having her own say on matters regarding her health. Sex education, as many in the community initially believed, has not led to more sex, but rather to more education. 28 29 FOOTBALL4GOODMAGAZINE | MARCH2020 FOOTBALL4GOOD&PHOTOGRAPHY