Ulafu 

The Hills Where Hope Learnt to Run 

In the undulating hills of Siaya, a little past the lowlands shaped by the River Yala, the village of Ulafu lives in its own quiet rhythm. Children walk home along red-earth paths. Friends gather by the roadside shops to laugh and argue about football. Elders sit under trees sharing memories and lessons wrapped inside old Kiswahili sayings. Life here moves slowly, yet it holds emotions that rise and fall like the land itself.

Ulafu carries a history of young people searching for belonging. Many boys grow into adulthood too quickly. Many girls learn fear too early. Opportunities often feel scarce. Choices often feel fixed long before a child’s potential has a chance to breathe. Even with the warmth of community, the pressures on young people sit silently in the background like a weight everyone knows but rarely names.

The Ulafu Tournament began with the hope of shifting that story. A group of young professionals who grew up here returned home with their own resources, a few partners, and a decision to build something meaningful. A field. A ball. A chance. A safe place where young people could gather and remember that their lives mattered. Year after year, the tournament grew into a space for talent, mentorship, education, discipline and new beginnings. More than a thousand young people have passed through it. Some found structure. Some found purpose. Some found a future they had almost abandoned.

Achieng stands in the soft gold of the Ulafu sunset, watching girls and boys chasing a football across the field. Their laughter colours the air with life. From a distance she smiles, remembering the girl she once was. A girl with dreams. A girl whose life changed before she was ready. A girl who became a teenage mother. A girl who left school under the weight of shame and circumstance.

She loved her baby. She fought for her. Yet she held a quiet ache for all she thought she had lost.

Then the community called her name. She was selected as one of the first beneficiaries of the Ulafu Scholarship Programme. The announcement was made right on this field. The voices that had once whispered about her now rose in celebration. Her story began again. Slowly. Tenderly. Brave step after brave step.

She returned to school. She studied late into the night. She sat for exams with her baby wrapped on her back. She rebuilt her identity with determination and grace. Her teachers saw brilliance. Her peers saw resilience. The community saw hope.

Years later, Achieng now works as a Child Protection Officer in Siaya. Every day she guides children through fear, violence and uncertainty. She listens to girls who feel trapped. She reassures boys who feel invisible. She brings calm to families sitting in the middle of a crisis. She understands pain. She understands courage. She understands the power of a second chance because she lived it.

This evening, she watches the children play. Their energy. Their freedom. Their unfiltered joy. It fills the field with a promise she never takes lightly. She knows what it means when a child finds safety. She knows what it means when a community shows up. She knows how different her life would be if Ulafu had not chosen to believe in her.

This field changed her life. Now she stands in it as a testament to what is possible.