Camp I Am was inspired by an 11-year old girl named Solei.  One evening, a few months before the 2010 FIFA World Cup, her mom told her that she would be sent away to relatives during that school holiday.  Solei replied: “No mom, I want to be here.  It’s the first time that the World Cup will be held in Africa and I want to be able to say that I was here”.  While surprised by the effect of World Cup fever on her daughter, Solei’s mom was happy with how she expressed herself and agreed that she could stay.

At the time Solei’s mom was working on a special project for children in low-income areas, which would run during the World Cup, but it had not been defined.  Solei seeded the idea to create a camp-style program and helped by writing about the activities she’d enjoy if she went to camp; and also did a demo CD with other children in her neighbourhood park.  Thus, Camp I Am was born as an affirmation for children to express themselves, and imagine all possibilities:  “I am brave”, “I am intelligent”, I’m an African, “I Am…”  Moreover, it is a risk free environment for children to develop the life skills they need in order to achieve their dreams