Still, the reason I mention it is that the pressure on the DSCWC team has been intense this week – and the weather here in Durban outrageously hot and humid. (Another blog, another tortured metaphor.) This morning, there was a tremendous rainstorm and the sky is now grey. As a Brit, I feel wrong saying this, but thank goodness for rain. Does this mean the pressure has eased? I suspect that the grand weather barometer does have an effect on our personal pressure-meters – but unfortunately, I don’t think the rain means that the pressure on us has lessened.

The countdown now says 15 days til kickoff. But there are only 11 days until the teams begin arriving. Only 6 before the volunteers start getting here. And the pressure of squeezing more to-dos into these tight days – well, it means they start speeding up and getting hotter. If that’s true for me, I can’t imagine how it must be for the teams preparing children to come over. Particularly those still – still! – battling through endless bureaucracy to make sure all the right forms are filled in on time.

There have been some stormy discussions. There have been some decisions made on the hoof which time may prove unwise. There have been a lot of hot late nights of work. There have continued to be round-ups (though they stopped for a few nights), and the staff at Umthombo have to deal with them medically, pastorally and practically.

To relieve the pressure, I offloaded onto a group of friends and family a long email about round-ups. I emailed a couple of local church-goers. The response has felt to me like a cool down-pour.

Friends and family are giving up their Sunday evening to pray, campaign and strategise about how effective attention can be brought to this issue. These local church-goers are taking the issue to their church eldership. It feels like something significant – voices speaking out with street children.

Readers in tune with this may not be surprised to learn that my offloading email – but more to the point, the response – came after a Sabbath day. A day for celebration. A day for praying. A day for seeking wisdom beyond the human. A day for remembering the bigger picture. A day when we may, because we stop striving for it, see a Kingdom – out of the corner of our eyes – with utter clarity.

Once the teams are here, this is how I’m imagining the football games will feel. A time to stop striving and just play (easy for me to say, on the sidelines…). A time for celebration. A time when wisdom – when transformation – will come in sideways.

 jenny

But I’m on the roof of the Happy Hippo here in Durban with a cheeky beer, the sun is setting after a good mixed day of working on those lists, wandering on the beach, and meeting two of the fabulous people here in Durban making things happen* and, before I embark on another evening of uberplanning, maybe it’s time to do a little reflecting.

The Uberplan. Without it, I would be lost. It’s my multi-multi page spreadsheet in which everything is turned into comforting tables. Accommodation. Transport. First aid. Football fixtures. Leisure time. Flights. Artworks. Putting everything into good old Microsoft Excel – it’s an alchemic process turning “I know! Let’s hold a world cup – for street children!” into reality.

I like to think I’m not all “spreadsheet”, personality-wise, but the network of people creating this project is a wonderful collection of dreamers and activists, so I think I’ve turned the volume up on my list-making input. Do I sound defensive? Maybe it’s because I’m slightly in awe – even envious? – of people who dream big dreams without necessarily consulting reality first.

If I’m honest, there have been times over the last 18 months (check out the rest of this blog) that I probably would have pulled the plug, if it were only up to me. Times when it seemed too hard. When too many people said no. That might have been the realistic option. But we didn’t. And now, in 3 weeks time, it’s happening.

Those big ideas have turned into names, people, children’s lives being changed. Already, children engaging in preparation for the event have experienced transformation as a result –reunifications with parents, jobs (one of the Brazilian team found a job and decided she wanted to stay there rather than come. Not a bad problem for the organisation to deal with), opportunities to use the media to say – this is who I am. Here in Durban, we’re still very much working to ensure the project uses its (now not inconsiderable) power to swing a change in the way that street children are treated here by Metro police. Things are changing. They need to change more. And I think they will.

We definitely need the Uberplan in the weeks to come. But – OK, I admit it – we also need those people who think outside its gridlines.

jenny

* Savy – house mother at the Star Seaside Home, who’s moving heaven and earth (or, occasionally, getting her husband Paul to do so) to ensure the visiting teams have a comfortable place to come. And Manuela – a language student at the University of Kwa Zulu Natal who’s going to test out her translation degree with the kids coming over (and, by the sounds of things, is persuading most of her friends to do likewise).

I flew into Durban – and find here a continual (and unseasonal) drizzle, enlivened by some distinct showers, and the odd exciting deluge. These mainly seem to have coincided with me being in the (steaming up) car, not really being able to see where I’m going, and bathing passers-by.  I call it sharing the blessing.

And things are going well.  The eThekwini Municipality is welcoming the project, as is the KZN Province – and I’ve had positive meetings with them.  DUT and the Star Seaside Home are continuing to go beyond the call of duty in their help and support.  Deloitte’s Durban office is all for this, and looks forward to huge fun for their employees – as well as the children.  We’re dealing with practical food, transport, accommodation questions right, left and centre, and there’s a real sense of progress (and urgency!).  Is the rain a sign of these blessings?

I’m struck by the stark alternatives for street children in weather like this.  Some doorways.  Some balconies to sleep under.  But to beg at traffic lights, as some do, or to walk around the city, or to come to Umthombo – they face utter drenching.  It must feel rather less like a blessing and more like a curse to them.

Is this curse evidenced in the round-ups – sometimes brutal – that are continuing despite the vocal commitment of the Municipality to stop them?  It’s wrong and enraging that children are beaten and cleared away from the city by some elements of the police force – treated not like children but like rubbish.

The Deloitte Street Child World Cup is part of enabling these children to be seen as children again.  As the rain pours, we hope that our plan is receiving blessing – and we hope, for the children, that it will soon stop.

jenny

Still, if the days to come are anything like the last 50 days or so, I think it’s all going to work out pretty well.

It’s been an amazing month or two.  Since Deloitte came on board, we’ve moved up several gears and are making progress at an incredible rate.

- our fantastic gala dinner exceeded our expectations by raising £30,000.  Thanks to everyone!

- we held an All Party Parliamentary Group at which we welcomed representatives from the embassies of South Africa, Brazil, Nicaragua, the Philippines, and Ukraine.  They, the MPs and NGOs who joined us expressed warm support for the initiative, and were helpful and practical in their suggestions and assistance. 

- the Angus Lawson Memorial Trust have come on board to sponsor the Philippine team.

- BMS World Mission are coming on board the project, providing support to enable the Nicaraguan team to take part, and supporting us with communications innovations (watch this space for more!)

- the M13 Youth Project will be sending a UK team – and it’s been fantastic to have their input into our ongoing team meetings.

In the meantime, around the world, our partners are working with the street children they look out for, in order to select the teams that will be travelling to Durban. The teams will be representing themselves and their peers on an international stage. This project, which has lived in the minds of a network of activists for a couple of years is becoming a reality for those young people who are at the centre of it all.

Next week, I’m off to Durban for a series of meetings, and more discussions with Umthombo.  They have co-ordinated a children’s committee, ensuring that the street children of Durban are fully involved in these last 100 or so days of planning – and the 10 days of the event itself – and, crucially, the follow up, taking the messages further.  I can’t wait to spend more time with them, to root this project back into the experience of these young people.  I hope I’m ready to be challenged, and to change plans where we need to do so.

Thanks so much to everyone who’s supported us up to this point.  It’s been a process of pushing hard to get the momentum going.  Now it’s taking off, and instead of pushing, we’re being pulled along at a hectic pace.  It’s good to have got the project this far.  Now the countdown has really begun.

jenny

The event was a huge amount of fun – and was only possible because of the generosity of a huge number of people.

The rollcall of BIG BIG THANK YOUS:

- to our speakers, Alastair Campbell, Jamie Redknapp, Geovanni, Eduardo, Tom Watt, Jason Isaacs, and Bulelwa Ngantweni,  and to Simon Mayo for doing a brilliant job of interviewing them.

- to Deloitte, our principal sponsors, for helping make the whole evening happen.  Especially Peter Parsons – thank you for everything, Peter!

- to Stanlake Park Wine Estate for donating their flagship Stanlake Park Traditional Method Sparkling Wine to start the evening with bubbles!

- to SAB Miller for donating all our wine and beer.

- to Belu for donating all the water.

- to John Foster of Sworders and Antiques Roadshow for auctioneering

- to Dylan Thomas, our brilliant photographer

- to all our raffle prize and auction donors - Global Goals, Sir Cliff Richard, Aardman Animations, Sworders, Treagus Stoneman Associates, Really Useful Group, Deutsche Bank, Editors, Chelsea FC, Mala Indian Restaurant, Phil Reed, director of Churchill’s Cabinet War Rooms, St Paul’s Cathedral, Thandie Newton, John and Jo Wroe, Isobel and Bryan Webster, Meg Wroe.

- to SFL Group for sound

- to our wonderful DSCWC partners for rallying tables and supporters – Momentum Arts, Cheka Sana Children’s Trust, Action for Brazil’s Children, the Consortium for Street Children.

- to Streets United for amazing freestyling skills

- to the Frank Williams jazz quintet

- to the Sofitel Hotel for their welcome!

- to the team of tireless and supportive volunteers who sold raffle tickets, made the auction happen, and were generally great.

And to all the guests who made merry, and made money to enable street children’s voices to be heard.  THANK YOU!

jenny

David Beckham

       A round of golf at the Wentworth Golf Course, home of the World Match Play with Les Ferdinand.

       The final two of eight exclusive Street Child World Cup prints, signed by Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Gary Lineker.

       An exclusive tour for six, of areas closed to the public at St Paul’s Cathedral, including Christopher Wren’s private library, many areas featured in the Da Vinci Code film, and including lunch with the Dean.

       A shirt signed by the greatest footballer of all time, Pelé.

       A shirt signed by former England and Newcastle legend Alan Shearer.

       Shirts signed by the Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham squads.

       A one- off from Aardman Animations, home of Wallace and Gromit.

       A personalised tour around the Cabinet War Rooms, exploring behind the scenes with the director for up to four people.

        A week in a luxury holiday home in Tenerife.

       A week in a holiday cottage in Perthshire.

       A print by celebrated artist Meg Wroe, made after her visit to see the work of Umthombo with street children in Durban.

       A valuation by Sworders the fine art auctioneers (Antiques Roadshow).

    And there are more to come!  Watch this space…

The Amos Trust are excited to announce the list of fantastic and unique prizes that will be auctioned off at this fundraising event that will be held on the 18^th November at the Sofitel Hotel near Heathrow.

Auction Prizes include:

• A shirt signed by Brazilian football legend Pelé
• Shirts signed by: the Manchester United, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur FC teams
• A shirt signed by former England striker Alan Shearer
• A personalised tour around the Cabinet War Rooms, exploring behind the scenes with the director for up to four people
• A week in a luxury holiday home in Tenerife
• A week in a holiday cottage in Perthshire
• A print by celebrated artist Meg Wroe, made after her visit to see the work of Umthombo with street children in Durban
• A free valuation by Sworders the fine art auctioneers
• A round of golf at the exclusive Wentworth Golf Course with VIP guests
• An exclusive Street Child World Cup print, signed by Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Gary Lineker
• A ball, signed by Brazilian football star Juninho

A selection of raffle prizes will also be available on the night, including chances to win tickets to top West End shows, a case of champagne and £450 in gift vouchers.

If you are interested in bidding for these items we would love to see you at the Gala Dinner on the 18^th November and some limited places are still available.  The ticket deadline for this fantastic event is this Thursday, 12^th November, please click here for more details.  If you are unable to make this event but would like to make a bid for one of these items please contact Jenny Dawkins, jenny@amostrust.org.

All proceeds go towards the Street Child World Cup which is taking place in Durban, South Africa, March 2010.

Jenny Unwin

It’s now less than one month until the world celebrates the 20^th anniversary of the UN convention on the Rights of the Child on the 20^th November.

The Consortium for Street Children (CSC) recently launched a new campaign REALISING RIGHTS: STOP VIOLENCE AGAINST STREET CHILDREN which includes an online petition. The Consortium for Street Children hope to get 100 signatures on this petition before the anniversary of the UN convention on the Rights of the Child on 20^th November.

Add your name to the petition here: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/Realising-Rights

With your support the CSC can send the petition to important high-level decision and policy maker such as the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, the All Party Parliamentary Group on Street Children, the newly appointed UN Special Representative on Violence Against Children, and the International Police Association.

Please tell your friends about this opportunity to help. This is an ideal chance to show the world that street children matter and have rights too.

CSC campaigning really makes a difference…

The Consortium for Street Children feature in several sections of a recent International Development Committee enquiry, which offers recommendations to the Department for International Development (DFID, the UK government’s overseas aid arm. The report makes several groundbreaking points.

The report highlights the important differences between street children and other children living in urban areas and urges that a distinction must be made between the two. This encourages DFID to ensure that it tailors specific “policies and programmes for street children within their approach to urban development” meaning that funding to aid street children will be kept distinct from other funding areas.

It also recommends that “DFID adopt indicators specific to street children within its new International Strategy with UNICEF”.

Add your signature today http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/Realising-Rights and show your support for the important work of the CSC.

Jenny Unwin (SCWC intern)

Alastair Campbell, perhaps Burnley’s most well-known fan, will be attending the Street Child World Cup gala dinner  and interviewing Jamie Redknapp, a gentlemen of the game, with a reasonable claim to being part of football’s royal family.

If you haven’t got your ticket yet, hurry! 

Also joining us:  Tom Watt of BBC Radio 5 Live’s Fighting Talk, Eduardo, Geovanni, and a host of friendly fun people to enjoy a game of table football with.

I’m really looking forward to meeting them all then.  Come along too!

jenny