Photo by Julius Mwelu
Children in the Muthare slum in Nairobi, Kenya can’t afford a real soccer ball so they make a plan. Searching for plastic bags at dump sites, they collect enough to make a soccer ball out of the bags and a ball of string. Soccer brings joy to their lives and ingenuity ensures they keep the joy alive.
Publication rights to this feature are available from Africa Media Online.
Deep in the rural heartland of Zambia, in Mbiya Camp, a young boy can be found with a handmade soccer ball in hand, taking a break from his farming duties to hone his skills.
Children from the pastoral tribes of Southern Ethiopia and Northern Kenya are often responsible for household and community chores. These children take advantage of what little free time they have. By wrapping plastic bags in twine they are able to play soccer on the dusty fields outside their schools.
Siyabonga Mbaleki has inspired the children in his Cape Town neighborhood to follow their dreams and realize their potential by being part of a soccer team that he coaches voluntarily. He trains local children from a disadvantaged background to improve their fitness and football skills daily after school and on weekends.
Many young boys in Lagos, Nigeria have the dream of becoming football stars. Street football is a very popular way for young people to showcase their skills in playing the game.
A soccer team in Mazoe, 35 km east of Harare the capital of Zimbabwe on Belgone Farm, was affected badly by Zimbabwe’s controversial land reform program. With no one to employ them and with no sponsors, the group has now resorted to dancing masked traditional dances to raise money for the team and to be able to have food on the table.
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