Bringing joy and education to the outskirts of an African town is both a pleasure and a heartfelt need for those of us who live in a reality where social inequality and poverty are tangible problems, although not as dramatic as in other places, such as the slums of Nairobi.
In Malindi it is still possible to make situations that are not extreme coexist with a smile, even though they reveal enormous difficulties such as the lack of social assistance, health care for all and organized schools.
We have always tried to do this through an aggregative tool such as the football game and even last Saturday, as on all occasions when we spend ourselves for constructive fun for young people in the most deprived areas of Malindi, have won first happiness and a sense of communion between young and very young, including many girls.
The late summer football tournament in Furunzi, played on the large esplanade behind the airport visible to many tourists who, just outside Malindi, take the paved road that leads to the Tsavo and then to the safari, was a success of participation.
Most of it is due to the non-profit organization Il Kenya nel Kuore, as well as to malindikenya.net and the wonderful dedication of the coach Davis Badili Kenga who manages to coordinate several football realities in the area between Malindi and Ganda.
The youth teams, boys and girls of Real Malindi, Early Sun Academy, Majivuni and Grace Ministry have battled in their respective categories (Under 12 and Under 16) in a mini championship that began in the morning and ended with the two finals in the afternoon.
In between, the spectacle of an entire community of villages near Malindi, a festive lunch based on rice pilau and meat, music spread and the final awards with lots of trophies to exhibit. For the record, in the category of grandchildren, the Early Sun Academy supported by the Brianza Onlus beat our Real Malindi on penalties, 8-7. While in the category of children won the Real Malindi.
An even greater victory would be to have the help of a community of those who are luckier than these willing boys to whom we teach to excel at school in order to be part of our football schools: the community of Italians.
Help us to support this philosophy. You can write to info@malindikenya.net or call tel. 0720178982 for information.