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On The Tigers Trail: Hope for Street Children in Uganda reports on how the charity RETRAK are successfully rehabilitating street kids through football, education, training, support and care at The Tigers Club.

This emotive documentary is being broadcast on Community Channel on Friday, January 12 @ 9:30pm (repeated on January 14th @ 8:30pm) in conjunction with the UK release of the film The Last King of Scotland, starring Forest Whitaker, Gillian Anderson and James McAvoy.

The Last King of Scotland was shot in Uganda and many of the boys from The Tigers Club filmed in the programme also feature in the film as extras. RETRAK was one of the chosen charities of the producers of the film. James McAvoy has voiced the documentary for the channel.

The homeless boys who feature in the documentary each have a different story to tell, but as The Tigers Club football coach Alfred Emong explains, it is football that unites them. The Tigers Club is famous for its football training and has an excellent track record against local teams, and this is what initially attracts the boys to the project.

Playing football also helps to build trust and breakdown barriers between the boys and gives them a sense of identity and discipline, which is a key part of their rehabilitation process.  

We also meet Director of RETRAK Andy Williams, who set up The Tigers Club in Kampala, Uganda, to engage with street boys whose lives have been affected by HIV/AIDS, abuse and rejection. He relates how the vocational activities his scheme offers (such as engineering and cooking) and efforts to reunite the boys with their estranged families, or to place them with a foster family, have enabled the boys to realise their potential.

In particular, we see how the time Saddam spent with The Tigers Club has helped to increase his family’s income, as the training he received provided him with agricultural skills he can apply to farming his mother’s livestock and crops. Like Saddam, few return to the streets after experiencing The Tigers Club and many have gone on to enjoy life and now volunteer for RETRAK to help others.

Ends

For tapes, images or interviews, contact:James Matheson 020 7874 7651 / 07891 763002 / jamesm@communitychannel.org Frances Cherry 020 7874 7908 / francesc@communitychannel.org

Notes to editors:
Community Channel is TV that gives a damn. It makes you think again about the world around you, and inspires you to take action on the causes and issues that matter to you. Broadcasting original shows, the best of terrestrial TV and showcasing the work of new directors and community programme makers; Community Channel is the place for real-life stories. The channel is broadcast 24 hours a day, every day on Sky 539, ntl:Telewest 233 and from 6-9am on Freeview 87. The channel is freely available to around 45 million people in 18.2 million homes across the country and around 1.2 million people watch every month (BARB). Community Channel is a Media Trust initiative. Visit www.communitychannel.org

The Tigers Club Project seeks to enable homeless children to realise their potential and discover their worth. The programme offers abandoned, abused and alone children immediate support and sustainable, long-term, culturally relevant alternatives to street life. By building trust and a deep understanding of each boy’s specific circumstances and character, we are able to facilitate a process in which children equip themselves with the social, educational and practical tools they need for reintegrating into their families, communities and society. Visit: www.tigersclub.org