Soccer & Development

One of our projected goals in Malawi is to help out with development work originally carried out by Sam Mchombo. Sam has been donating much of his time and money over the years toward empowering the youth in Malawi through soccer programs. The essence of his philosophy is to motivate youth to participate in community service by providing the essential equipment for them to also participate in the sport they love most - soccer. It began with Sam donating a soccer ball and some jerseys and asking what he would get in return. Knowing there was nothing tangible they could give in return, he suggested they help out a neighbor, or clean the local church, or offer their service to the city in cleaning up the streets. The youth were more than willing to do so in exchange for something that could take a year or more of the same work in order to buy such a soccerball. Thus began a system in which youth learned they could make a difference in an apparently bleak environment and have fun at the same time.

Sam's work has blossomed into two teams: the Earthquakes in Lilongwe and SM Galaxy in Blantyre. These teams are active in their communities and have been noted for their good deads on radio and television programs in Malawi. One of our goals this August, is to coordinate with these teams and invite others to participate with SM Galaxy and the Earthquakes in making their community a better place. By donating soccerballs to various organizations we hope to continue the movement Sam initiated and inspire others to participate.

Some say you can't do it, what good is it, the problems are too big. We disagree. We think each individual doing their part in their community can do enough to turn things around.
Here's the link to Malawi's National Team. They're not in the World Cup, but maybe someday.
Malawi Flames