SAKALA/Pax Christi, Michiko (Cite Soleil)

 SAKALA is a program to empower the youth of Cite Soleil through civic education, sports, and environmental action. 

SAKALA is a program to develop the capacity of young people in Cite Soleil which an organisation named Pax Christi Haiti established in 2006. SAKALA mixes sports with social integration programs, youth leadership, peace education, and environmental protection. SAKALA's activities are held up by 4 principles: Peace, Respect, Sport, and the Environment. Their objective is to help young people become leaders in community development and to lessen the stigma of Cite Soleil. They create economic opportunities for young adults and handicapped people, and 300 children and young people participate directly in the activities. 

The SAKALA program includes:

• Sport: they have a football team called "Union" which gives young boys and girls from different neighborhoods in Cite Soleil the chance to play football in the spirit of peace, education, and social integration.
• Environment: Jaden TapTap (an urban tire garden) gives the youth education on how to cultivate food even in the city, and gives city youth a chance to earn a small income by keeping up the garden and selling the produce. 
• Community service: to encourage leadership among the youth, SAKALA includes them in every kind of community activity to show that the youth are the source of sustainable community change. 
• They also give scholarships, and hold many activities for reflection and dialogue. 

They can teach other communities about how to use sports for civic education, peace education,  and how to support vulnerable youth. They have a lot of experience in urban gardening (especially tire gardening), and on cultivation and transformation of moringa trees.