Sports for Schools
The Trust’s sports equipment project was launched in 1999 to provide footballs and netballs to Zambian schoolchildren to promote health and wellbeing and for them to enjoy the sport itself.
Initially the project concentrated on donating to secondary schools, with 50 schools each year receiving both footballs and netballs. More recently we provided balls additionally to primary and community schools. Since 2013 the Trust has donated only to community schools that are short of facilities for sport, especially in rural areas.
Zambia Open Community Schools (ZOCS) has its headquarters in Lusaka and it distributes balls to its schools at its discretion. In 2024 170 balls were distributed. In a recent report the ZOCS Director said
For ZOCS, footballs and netballs are considered helpful for learners for the following reasons;
Enhance collaborative abilities, self-confidence and social skills in children in Community Schools and the youths in communities (youths use school grounds for sports)
Encourage children to broaden their talents since understanding the principles of one sport makes it simpler to learn the regulations of another.
Early physical education at school teaches the concept of collaboration whereas being part of the team provides vulnerable children with the feeling of identity.
Playing football and netball excites learners to attend school regularly.
We work in partnership with Alive and Kicking, an African social enterprise that manufactures high quality, durable footballs, netballs and volleyballs, and creates ethical employment for communities. The Trust’s donated funds are sent by Alive and Kicking’s London office directly to its factory in Lusaka. Then ZOCS collects the balls once they are manufactured.
We have the assistance of Whiteson Chenge in Lusaka, a businessman who has assisted the Trust with our projects for many years, especially the footballs and netballs project.
