US university donates sports equipment to Malawi schools
An American university, Emma Girls, on Thursday donated assorted sports equipment to Bola Banda Sports Foundation for distribution to 12 primary schools in Nkhata Bay District.
According to www.emmawillard.org, Emma’s wellness and athletics department initiated the donation and partnered with the institution’s students’ council to collect as many contributions from the Emma community as possible, including athletics uniforms from the gym’s basement
Bola Banda is a nonprofit non-governmental organisation (NGO) dedicated to providing school mentoring and sports activities for some school children in Malawi.
The equipment includes 340 short-sleeved jerseys, 157 pairs of shorts, 51 singlets, 20 athletic skirts, 19 pairs of sneakers, 15 long-sleeved jerseys, 11 pinnies, 17 T-shirts, 15 soccer balls, two pairs of cleats, one sweatshirt, a hockey stick and a pair of flip-flops.
Bola Banda chief executive and founder Keni Banda, picked up the donation at Emma.
In an interview from New York, Banda said he is grateful to Emma Girls for the donation.
“I spoke to the girls about the joys their goods would bring to boys and girls in Malawi. In particular, about how the girls would benefit as Bola Banda allows them to participate in activities traditionally reserved for boys.
“I am really grateful and thankful to the students’ council and the wellness and athletics department for making this possible, and to the Emma community for their generosity,” said Banda.
The Bola Banda Sports Foundation is using soccer to coax children to attend school and attain high grades. It also provides the school children soccer facilities that will keep them busy on fitness activities.
The foundation has established a competitive sports league for boys and girls in standards 7 and 8 at Malenga Mzoma, Chifira, Bandawe and MacAlpine primary schools in Nkhata Bay District. Pupils in standards 1 and 6 play recreational soccer.
Each school has two soccer teams for boys and one for girls. Recently, the foundation brought in a soccer expert from Europe, R. K. Beeves, who conducted several clinics for sports masters and pupils.
