Young people attended by an educational project in refugee camp in playing a soccer tournament with shirts donated by. The action was carried out in partnership with the NGO Fraternity Without Borders and benefited the Ubuntu Nation School project, which offers soccer, English and math classes for about 940 refugee children in the field of Dzaleka. During the YDS Pre-Season Cup, held in Blantyre, in the south of the country, Dzaleka’s team entered the field with 30 official shirts from the São Paulo club, donated earlier this year. The team finished the competition in third place.
The donation was articulated by Gilberto and Selma Afonso, volunteers of Fraternity Without Borders and fans of Santos, after meeting coach Bahati Isali Malaki, former African player and admirer of the Brazilian club. Upon learning of the story, the president of Santos, Marcelo Teixeira, decided to support the project. “We thank you very much for the shirts. We have a lot of talents here, but we still face equipment. Santos is helping us too much. This brings visibility and hope to our children,” said Malaki.
In addition to the symbolic impact, the project generates local jobs and strengthens humanitarian actions. “This is the first time that a Brazilian club officially participates in an action in a sub -Saharan African refugee school. This shows the transforming power of the sport,” said Gilberto.
The delivered shirts refer to a historic moment of Santos: the trip to Nigeria in 1969 during the civil war. At the time, the team led by Pelé paralyzed the conflict to play a friendly match – an episode that consecrated the club as the only one to interrupt a war. “Santos is a world brand. By supporting this project, we rescued a striking chapter of our history and offer new opportunities to these children,” said Marcelo Teixeira.
In July, a new shipment will be sent to Ubuntu Nation School: 110 full uniforms (shirts, shorts and socks), as well as boots collected by Fraternity Without Borders. In all, there will be more than 550 items distributed. Founded in 2009, the NGO Fraternity Without Borders operates in Brazil and sub -Saharan Africa with projects of reception, education, food, health and professional training for children and young people in vulnerable situations.
