“Being a part of the Favela United project changed my life. I used to be very shy and didn’t have a lot of self confidence. Now I'm coaching the next generation young girls and boys in the community and I also became a referee in the official youth football competition. I feel strong, confident and respected when I walk through the community, it makes me happy and proud”. Joaquina
Favela United changed my life and for many others. I’ve grown very much as a person and I’m grateful to be part of the FU family and to achieve real goals with the project. Every day I’m learning new things and I’m sure that, with the FU project we can impact the lives of thousands of other children from these communities”. Eduardo
“Favela United is like my second home, there is where I learned to respect and love myself and just be who I am. The coaches gave me tons of confidence and they taught me how to respect and to live with affection for others”. Racky
"When my son started to participate in the Favela United project, I saw a big positive change. The coaches are not just a coach, but also a father, a big brother and a mentor. They teach them that school is very important as well and how to grow up with the right values in life.” Alberto (Father of Simião) “
“Since the beginning of our program, there are lots of positive changes in the community of Polana Caniço. The PC Community used to have a bad image and had the name of being a criminal neighborhood, this due to the high rate of criminal attacks, violence and substance abuse. Our sports for development program went all in against the problems in the community. By involving the whole community in our programs we were able to reduce the level of violence and drug and alcohol abuse. You can see that our football for change program has a positive effect on the behavior of the young boys and girls immediately. We are very happy to see that more and more young girls and women are involved in our program as well. We fight for inclusion and equal chances for everyone". Jair Uamba
"The project have thought me how to be a better leader and how to deal with the children. I give the children the space to be critical on me, this criticism makes me grow as a coach and as a person. I miss them when I’m not on the field with them, they bring me lot’s of joy and happiness”. Ernesto
"I started as participant in the Favela United project where I learned a lot and gained new life skills. Through these positive experiences I also became a coach and now I’m working with the next generation youth in the community. When I’m with the kids it gives me peace and joy, I feel valuable for my community”. Jonas
"Football is my life, Favela United gave me the opportunity to do what I like the most every day, playing football with my team mates. Since I’m participating in the project I’m also doing much better at school, thanks to the Life Captains Workshops and my coaches who helped me a lot”. Emidio
“For kids like us from the poor communities of the city it’s not easy to be part of a team that plays in the national youth league. The project gave me the opportunity to also be selected for the Maputo United team, a dream came true. I’m not only playing football in the highest youth league every week, I’m also learning new skills every week that help me to become a better leader. My dream is to play for the big Barcelona one day and to make a change for the younger children in my neighborhood. The coaches inspire me everyday”. Simião , team Captain