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ZIWAPHI • VOL 4 NO 7 • 9 - 22 APRIL 2010

NELSPRUIT

England’s prestigious West Ham United Academy, in partnership with the Mpumalanga Council of Churches (MCC), donated top-quality soccer kit and boots to disadvantaged young soccer players in the province last week.

Alison and Nick Lawrie from England, who oversaw the project, said West Ham United took the initiative as part of its outreach programme to children in disadvantaged areas and gave a “most generous” donation of gear.

“The project was founded by the MCC and the recipients were identified by the Bishop of Bethesda Church, Joseph Motaung, who contacted the academy. We are not connected with the academy in any way; we are just private individuals who love the Lord and want to make a difference - however small - and let needy children and those working with them know they are not alone, that there are people out there who care about them,” Alison explained.

She said the project organisers all recognised the important social role of sport in South Africa, particularly football.

“Organisations in the UK and South Africa mobilised to transport the kit to Nelspruit for distribution to the needy children in the province,” Alison said, adding that South African Airways, Cosmotrans Forwarding, QL Logistics and Renault South Africa all gave their services free of charge to speed the kit on its way.

The Lawrie couple has been working with the MCC for nearly a year to bring the project to fruition.

Nick said they heard about the MCC through a friend, Mike Gilbert of Johannesburg, who became interested when they spoke to him about the soccer kit West Ham had donated.

“We had a problem with finding someone here in South Africa to take responsibility for making arrangements at this end. But Gilbert worked tirelessly to help make our project a reality,” Nick said.

The presentation of the soccer kit in Matsulu included even more goodies for the kids.

The team also handed over children’s jerseys, blankets and toys that were knitted by residents of Marcham (a village in the UK) to representatives of the Sedibeng Home-based Care Programme and the Tower of Love Children’s Home. They then set off to their next stop, the Bethesda Christian Church Mission in Swalala village near Hazyview.

“Here we were eagerly awaited by a large number of boys and girls, who once again were presented with either light- or dark-blue striped soccer jerseys,” said the MCC’s Reverend Luke Dlamini.

He said the mission did not have its own soccer team or even a football pitch, but volunteered to host the presentation, following which a spontaneous game broke out ... all around the garden.

Dlamini said seven young soccer teams from Matsulu, KaNyamazane and Swalala village benefited in the end.

“This will assist youngsters to develop their soccer passion and talent to be future stars.”