By Ron Smith
May 15, 2026
 
(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) For the seventh time since 2006, Westmont Women's Soccer is on its way to Africa. Every three or four years, the Warriors partner with Sports Outreach International to serve people in Kenya and Uganda. Previous trips occurred in 2006, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019 and 2023.
 
"This trip has been a part of being a Westmont Women's Soccer player for 20 years now," said head coach Lauren Matthias, who first went on this trip as a student-athlete in 2013. "When we are with alumnae of the program, it is a shared experience that bonds us together."
 
This year's delegation consists of 20 players returning from last season and two coaches – Matthias and assistant coach Dan Ribbens. Ribbens, a member of the Sports Outreach International Board of Directors, is the only person who has participated in all six prior trips.
 
Westmont connections to Sports Outreach run deep. Former Westmont Men's Soccer and baseball coach Russ Carr - for whom Westmont's Russell Carr Field is named - founded the ministry in 1988. Former Westmont Vice President Cliff Lundberg, now retired, is also on the Board of Directors. Ribbens and Lundberg are both former men's soccer players at Westmont.
 
"The trip helps expand our global viewpoint and puts things into perspective because it is such a different cultural and community experience," noted Matthias. "Even though it is very different, even though we don't speak the same language, even if we don't have remotely similar upbringings – all that goes away when we roll a soccer ball out.
 
"Similarly, we make connections that transcend our differences by talking about the Lord and our faith. Cultural walls get broken down."
 
The team departs for Africa today – Friday, May 15 – heading to Kenya by way of Amsterdam. Arriving on Saturday, May 16, the team will spend the first four days in Nairobi.
 
While in Nairobi, the team will start each morning with devotionals and a time of worship with the Sports Outreach staff.
 
"We build a special relationship with the Sports Outreach staff," expressed Matthias. "One of our goals is to support and encourage the staff because they are the ones who are serving in Kenya and Uganda every day."
 
The team will be conducting soccer camps at Sports Outreach facilities in slums of Kibera or Mukuru or both. Kibera is a neighborhood of Nairobi that is the largest slum not only in Kenya, but also in all of Africa.
 
"Sports Outreach runs a school and feeding program in Kibera and Mukuru," reported Matthias. "Depending on where they need us, we can be in the classrooms, serving in the feeding program, or playing soccer with the children."
 
The remainder of the trip will be spent in Uganda, starting in Kampala. In addition to soccer clinics and feeding programs, the team will visit Sports Outreach International's touring chess ministry in Katwe. The program, run by Sports Outreach's executive director Robert Katende, received international attention when the 2016 Disney movie Queen of Katwe told the story of how Katende mentored Phiona Mutesi in the after-school program.
 
In anticipation of visiting the chess center, Matthias and some of the team members have been, "learning chess and Swahili."
 
After visiting Kampala, the Ugandan portion of the trip concludes in Gulu.
 
"There will be lots of soccer clinics for the local children," noted Matthias. "We will also be engaging with Christine's House on Sports Outreach's farm."
 
The home, according to the Sports Outreach website, is "a place in Northern Uganda … that provides rescue, counseling and training for young women who have been sexually exploited." Christine's House also includes a birthing center.
 
For Matthias, visiting Christine's House will be especially meaningful. "Dan and I helped pour the concrete for the house."
 
While in Gulu, the team will be involved in manual labor including weeding gardens, building or repairing facilities or whatever other projects need their help. Prior trips have included building a piggery to provide a stable source of income for local residents.
 
Before returning home, the team will experience a two-day safari at the Murchison Falls National Park in Uganda.
 
While on their trip, the team will be posting updates on a blog established to chronical their journey. Those interested can access the blog at: https://westmontwsocafrica2026.wordpress.com/.