ABOUT
AFRICA ON
THE BALL.
OUR STORY.
How we started: Why Scotland, Why Zambia?
In 2011, a 21 year-old student footballer from Stirling Uni, Scotland, Andrew, was united by his passion for the sport and Africa when he met the 21 year old semi pro footballer from Lusaka, Kelvin. Kelvin had lost both parents by the time he was 15, and whilst playing in Norway he realised what football had given to him to change his life for the better. This drove him to return to his home of Kalingalinga, a challenged community in Lusaka, and try to make a positive change for others in his community. Together they set up a community football club that is so much more than a Pitch with grassroots outreach development projects that the players and soon to be local leaders worked together to implement.
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So Africa On The Ball began, and not only did we start our first league matches as an academy, we went on to win the league. In 2013 the charity was formally registered in Scotland alongside a community football club in Glasgow (Glasgow On The Ball) to share their passion for the game as well as help raise funds and awareness for the works of Africa On The Ball.
The AOTB Impact & Model for Successful Change through Football
The AOTB club in Kalingalinga has since grown to support over 15 teams of boys and girls, men and women with over, 300 members supporting 4 schools, funded 57 scholarships, built 2 solar panelled water kiosks and staged many tournaments where vital health education messages can be delivered alongside a competitive show.
Now at Africa on the Ball we have a good model to make generational change because we understand that change is hard and that sustainable positive change is really hard. However, we also believe in the power of football to change lives permanently for the better, and it's working so far. That’s why we keep our work simple, with clear objectives. We use football to promote positive change: health messages, education, community development, gender equality/inclusivity. We give young people – boys and girls, men and women – the chance to play football in a structured way, as part of a team. And as part of that team, we help them to learn new things and give something back to their community through outreach programmes.
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Development is messy. It’s political. To get things done, you need to pick sides. We pick the side of our players and their families. We ask them how we can help. What they need. What the community needs. What matters to them. Africa on the Ball is a team in every sense of the word. We work together to achieve goals as well as score them.
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And there’s always room for new teammates!
OUR
VISION.
OUR MISSION.
Transform communities across Africa by embracing the power of football to build a foundation for life-long success. We aim to inspire, empower and support individuals to lead full and healthy sustainable lives.
To collaboratively inspire, empower and support communities in Zambia and throughout Africa, using the passion for football as a catalyst to improve education, healthcare, inclusivity and enterprise, creating sustainable brighter futures.
OUR VALUES.
INTEGRITY
We operate with transparency, accountability, and honesty in all our endeavours.
EMPOWERMENT
We believe in enabling individuals to discover and harness their potential, empowering them to become leaders and role models, creating positive change within communities.
INCLUSIVITY
We promote diversity and equal opportunities for all to create generational and community development
SUSTAINABILITY
We are committed to creating sustainable programmes that have a lasting impact on lives and communities. We believe in a legacy that creates generational change.
Collaboration
We value the power of partnerships and work collectively with stakeholders to maximise our impact.
NEEDS-LED
We are guided by our communities and are agile in the response required.
INNOVATION
We are continually seeking to improve in order to future-proof impact within our communities.
EXCELLENCE
We pursue excellence in governance, programmes and initiatives
TIMELINE.
Since starting in 2011, we have been hard at work in growing the depth and impact of our work in Zambia. Here is a brief overview of some of our successes to date.
