Children's Village Blog
New Athletic Field

Construction of Our New Athletics Fields is Underway
By Mike Kuttner, Director of Athletics

Several weeks ago I awoke to the sound of an engine running outside my window. I pulled back my curtains and saw a tractor rolling onto the cleared piece of property on the Kiran Coffee Plantation adjacent to the Children’s Village and to the school. Construction had finally started on the new Athletics fields and courts at Gyetighi Primary School! After a year of careful planning and thanks to the help of some incredibly generous individuals, including many of my friends and family members, we will soon see our vision realized. I watched as a throng of curious individuals slowly began to gather around the tractor. The spectator sport that is the construction of our playing fields was now also underway.

We are building a new and leveled playing field built to professional specifications. The new field will contain regulation goals and a retaining wall, to prevent curb erosion. On another parcel of land adjacent to the school’s property, we are creating an activity area that will contain 2 volley ball courts and a netball court (a favorite of all the young girls at Gyetighi). There’s also a paved surface as large as an NBA basketball court that will house 6 basketball hoops and serve as a recreation site for numerous activities. At this stage of construction, both of the areas have been cleared and leveled and the foundations’ frame is completed. Any day now, we’ll begin pouring cement.

While the children at the Children’s Village and the students at Gyetighi Primary School will directly benefit from these new playing fields, we feel that these additions will have a lasting positive impact on the whole community. In the year that I’ve been here, I‘ve witnessed some truly impressive gatherings. Despite the lumpy, sloped and debris- covered field that we currently call home, people routinely endure long 1-2 hour walks from surrounding villages to gather and watch soccer games. They come to socialize with old friends, interact with new people and cheer on their local villages teams. I’ve seen some incredible victory celebrations and crushing defeats reflected across the faces of the hundreds of Tanzanians who’ve crowded along the sidelines.

The only contingent whose excitement rivals that of our children would be our own “Crater Giants,” the local team comprised partially of our staff at the Children’s Village and friends in the area, who will also call this field ‘home’. And, no one’s efforts have had more of an effect than the Crater Giants’ leader, our Managing Director, Peter Massey. Since throwing his full support behind the project, Peter has sacrificed countless hours: his dedication and trademark enthusiasm have truly made this project possible.

Ultimately, these courts and fields are being built for children throughout our area. I am thrilled to see the culmination of our hard work because I know the enormous impact of this project will have on our Athletic Program. These resources will significantly enhance our ability to provide a better education for the students at Gyetighi Primary School and hopefully result in a healthier and happier student body. And at the end of the day, the true reward will be when the children have the opportunity to learn, compete, and enjoy these new venues, of which they have never seen something so spectacular. I hope that everyone involved, especially our kids, find the experience as rewarding as I have… and most importantly, have a lot of fun.