Mathare Youth Sports Association (mysa Kenya)

What Mathare Youth Sports Association (mysa Kenya) does

Mathare Youth Sports Association (MYSA Kenya) is a Nairobi-based nonprofit founded in 1987 that uses football as the entry point for an integrated portfolio of nine community development programs serving youth in Mathare Valley and surrounding slums. The organization operates 22 centers across 16 zones, fielding 2,052 teams across 234 leagues serving 30,000+ youth annually, and has cumulatively impacted over 200,000 young people in Kenya, Botswana, Tanzania, Sudan, Uganda, and the Kakuma refugee camp. Programs span sports (Boys & Girls Sports, Kids with Disability/Inclusion), environment (Environment Plus cleanups tied to league points), health (Slum Health and Rights, HIV/AIDS peer education serving 72,600 youth), arts (Edutainment/Haba na Haba), education (Slum Libraries with 13,000 users, Leadership Awards scholarships), media (Shootback photography), and employability (vocational training for 527 youth). The MYSA Trust is governed by a 9-member Board of Trustees chaired by founder Bob Munro; senior staff are themselves long-tenured alumni (e.g., Executive Director Edwin Wasonga joined at age 10). Revenue in 2018 was US$476,000 (Ksh 47.6 million), funded primarily by international foundations (Laureus, FIFA Legacy Fund, UEFA Foundation, IYF), government aid (Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs), and humanitarian NGOs (MSF, AHF, Amref, Book Aid International), with audited accounts since 1988. MYSA has earned two Nobel Peace Prize nominations (2003, 2004), Laureus Sport for Good Award, UNEP Global 500 Award, two FIFA Football for Hope championships, and is widely cited as a reference model for sport-for-development globally. The underlying 'technology' is a governance and incentive architecture — a point system linking league standings to community-service activities, youth-elected leadership with 49.3% female representation, and a 32-year pipeline of alumni who return as coaches, staff, and trustees — rather than a software platform. There is no evidence of proprietary software, AI/ML, or digital product; channels are physical (centers, libraries, tournaments) and the donation stack is M-Pesa, Paybill, and bank deposit.

Name

Mathare Youth Sports Association (mysa Kenya)

Legal name

Mathare Youth Sports Association (MYSA) Kenya

Website

https://mysakenya.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Short description

MYSA Kenya is a Nairobi-based nonprofit founded in 1987 that uses football as the entry point to deliver nine integrated community development programs serving 30,000+ youth annually across 16 zones in Mathare Valley, with cumulative reach of 200,000+ young people in six countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Non-profit Youth Sport-for-Development

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620), Sports Teams and Clubs (711211), Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (71394), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts, Sports & Recreation-Based Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Local Amateur Clubs & Community Sports Organizations (MPAKACAE), Sports Fundraising & Development Services (Foundations, NIL Collectives Support) (MPAKAKAK), Youth Development & Sports Outreach Programs (EDAIAGAG)

Keywords

• Youth sports development
• Community development programs
• Sport for development
• Youth education scholarships
• Slum community outreach

Headquarters

HQ city

Nairobi

HQ country

Kenya

HQ region

Africa

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. International Grants and Donations: Revenue primarily from international foundations, government aid agencies, and charitable donations. 2018 revenue was Ksh 47.6 million (US$ 476,000)
2. Partnership Funding: Funding from international partners including Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, FIFA Legacy Fund, and various NGO partners
3. Corporate and Individual Donations: Donations from individuals and organizations such as Clarksons Platou and MYSA Venner i Norge for educational scholarships

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

MYSA is a community development organization that uses sports (primarily football) as an entry point to deliver socio-economic development programs to youth in the Mathare Valley slums. Membership requires joining a sports team, which then qualifies young people to participate in community cleanups, HIV/AIDS awareness, leadership training, scholarships, libraries, arts, employability training, and disability inclusion across 16 zones and 22 centers in Nairobi.

Product overview

MYSA Kenya operates as a unified portfolio of nine interconnected community development programs anchored around sports activities. The core is the Boys & Girls Sports Program, which serves as the entry point for youth participation—membership requires joining a sports team. From this foundation, MYSA offers complementary programs including Environment Plus (environmental cleanups), Slum Health and Rights (HIV/AIDS awareness and health services), Edutainment Art/Haba na Haba (performing arts for social messaging), Leadership Awards (educational scholarships), Slum Libraries (educational resources), Kids with Disability/Inclusion (accessible sports), Photography and Film/Shootback (visual documentation), and Youth Employability (vocational training). Programs are designed to work together: sports participation enables access to community service points, health education, arts activities, and leadership opportunities, creating a holistic youth development ecosystem.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Boys & Girls Sports Program MYSA's flagship football program using sports as a tool to encourage cooperation, raise self-esteem, and promote physical and environmental health among youth in the Mathare slums; structured into 234 leagues across 16 zones and 22 MYSA centers in Nairobi with over 15,000 matches per year.
• Environment Plus Program Environmental conservation program where teams undertake garbage clean-up, tree planting, and drainage maintenance activities, with teams earning six league points for each completed cleanup and individual members earning two points to integrate community service with sports competition.
• Slum Health and Rights Program Health education program offering HIV/AIDS awareness, sexual reproductive health services, peer education, voluntary medical male circumcision, and youth-friendly clinical services; has offered HIV testing services to 72,600 youth through mobile HTS outreach and the MYSA Youth Friendly Centre.
• Edutainment Art Program (Haba na Haba) Performing arts program using music, dance, theatre, puppetry, and acrobatics to convey health and social messages to the community, including Participatory Educative Theatre shows and the annual Watoto WanaSay Festival for children's arts.
• Leadership Awards Program Scholarship program rewarding MYSA members with educational scholarships based on participation in sports and community service activities to help youth stay in school; recipients receive scholarships of up to Ksh 10,000 each.
• Slum Libraries Program Library and study hall program promoting a reading culture, providing educational materials, and creating safe learning spaces for MYSA members and the wider community; operates four libraries with membership of 13,000 users and is planning to establish libraries in each of the 16 MYSA zones.
• Kids with Disability Program (Inclusion) Inclusion program engaging young people regardless of ability, gender, sexual orientation, or religious background through sports participation and broader MYSA activities.
• Photography and Film Program (Shootback) Photography and filmmaking program training youth to document stories about pressing community issues, publish photo books, and participate in local and international exhibitions.
• Youth Employability Program Vocational training program providing life skills, financial literacy, and technical skills in construction trades (plumbing, electrical, masonry, painting, tiling) to youth aged 18-25.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 5,600 youth received leadership awards to stay in school
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

23 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Laureus Sport for Good Foundation (UK)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational foundation providing funding and support for sport for development initiatives. Sir Bobby Charlton is a member of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation.
• Norwegian Football Trainers AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for training football coaches and providing technical expertise to MYSA programs.
• AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupport for MYSA's HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention programs including testing services and peer education.
• Amref Kenya (Y-ACT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealth-focused partnership supporting youth health programs and advocacy initiatives.
• Book Aid International (UK)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting MYSA's slum libraries program with books and educational materials.
• Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMedical humanitarian organization supporting health programs and HIV/AIDS awareness activities.
• Norwegian Football AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFootball federation providing support for youth football development and coaching education.
• KNVB (Royal Netherlands Football Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided coaching and refereeing training; six coaches earned UEFA B licences through KNVB Academy training.
• StreetFootballWorld (Germany)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational network supporting sport for development. MYSA won the 2006 StreetFootballWorld Cup under this partnership.
• Nobel Peace InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConnection through Nobel Peace Prize nominations and peace-building initiatives.
• Football Kenya FederationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational football governing body supporting MYSA's football leagues and competitions.
• Ministry of Health (Kenya)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment ministry supporting HIV/AIDS awareness and health programs.
• Ministry of Gender, Sport, Culture and Social Services (Kenya)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment ministry providing institutional support and partnership for youth development.
• Nairobi County GovernmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCounty government partnership for youth sports and community development programs.
• Save the Children KenyamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChild rights organization supporting child protection and welfare programs.
• Kenya National Sports CouncilmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment body supporting national sports development initiatives.
• National Olympic Committee of KenyacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational Olympic committee supporting youth sports and Olympic movement.
• Kenyatta UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partnership for academic programs and youth development research.
• Dana Cup (Denmark)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational youth football tournament in Denmark.
• Norway CupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorld's oldest and largest international youth football tournament. MYSA ranked second worldwide for gold medals won since 1990.
• Beyond Sport (UK)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational organization recognizing sport for social change projects.
• Tackle AfricaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFootball for development organization focusing on health awareness.
• Search for Common Ground (USA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPeacebuilding organization supporting community harmony initiatives.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Laureus Sport for Good Foundation: Global foundation funding sport-for-development initiatives worldwide and a core MYSA funder. Comparable mission scope but functions as a grantmaker rather than direct service provider.

Direct peers

• Right to Play: Global nonprofit that uses sport and play to educate and empower children and youth in disadvantaged communities. Highly comparable to MYSA in sport-for-development mission, multi-country operating model, and youth-led program philosophy.
• Kick4Life: Lesotho-based sport-for-development nonprofit using football to address youth health, education, and employability. Comparable in African operating context, soccer-as-platform model, and integrated health/social programming.
• Mathare United FC: Professional Kenyan football club founded in 1994 as MYSA's professional extension. Same founder (Bob Munro), same Mathare community base, and shares MYSA's alumni talent pipeline into the Kenyan Premier League.
• StreetFootballWorld: Global network of sport-for-development organizations headquartered in Germany; MYSA is a member network participant and has won the StreetFootballWorld Cup. Comparable in mission and global sport-for-development ecosystem positioning.
• Tackle Africa: Africa-focused nonprofit using football coaching to deliver health education including HIV/AIDS and SRHR. Listed as a MYSA partner; directly comparable in Africa-centric sport-plus-health approach.
• Magic Bus: India-headquartered nonprofit using sports to take children and youth from poverty to education and livelihood. Directly comparable in sport-as-entry-point model, youth development outcomes, and international donor base.
• Soccer Without Borders: US- and Latin America-based nonprofit using soccer as a vehicle for refugee and underserved youth development. Highly comparable in sport-as-platform-for-development methodology and underserved-youth focus.

Broad incumbents

• Save the Children Kenya: Major international child-rights NGO operating in Kenya and listed as a MYSA partner. Overlaps on youth welfare, education, and protection but operates at much larger scale and broader remit than MYSA's sport-led model.

Regional players

• AMREF Health Africa (Kenya): Largest Africa-based international health NGO, headquartered in Nairobi and a named MYSA partner (Y-ACT). Comparable as a Kenya-anchored youth-focused nonprofit, but operates primarily in health rather than sport.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/mysakenya
• Facebookfacebook.com/MYSAKenya
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mathare-youth-sports-association-mysa-kenya

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Mathare Youth Sports Association (mysa Kenya)