With only a few days to go before leaving Zambia I was very unsettled about how the legacy of such volnteer projects would go on after our departure. My fears were not merely related to the unavailability of possibilities, but rather regarding whether or not any Maltese would take up the opportunity to do so in 2009.

Once again Theird World Group Malta has done a sterling job to ensure that Maltese youths will have the chance to explore the beauties of Africa through its people and offer four Maltese citizens the possibility to spend three months with a local non-governmental organisation in either Kenya, South Africa or Zambia this coming summer.

Unfortunately uptake has been unrecorded to date. The closing date has been extended to the 25th of January 2009 for all those interested in participating in the project.

As a former participant I have to admit that it would be a shame indeed should no Maltese partake in the project, as it not only is an eye-opening experience from a personal point of view, but it allows volunteers to explore the opportunities in the professional world far beyond the Maltese shores.

I therefore urge all those Maltese youths who are already wondering what to do during the summer months to take this golden opportunity to experience the world as they've never experienced before, and lend a helping hand to those who need it most.

Details of the four different projects on offer in 2009 may be found on the Third World Group Website, or contact Manuel Fenech on leli.fenech@gmail.com or 0799 05 505.

You will not be disappointed!

On Development Aid

There are times when I doubt the actual benefit of the bruhaha around Development Aid when I see the some of the results and impacts of certain projects.

As Governments continue to exploit the political leverage of their office in supporting development projects financed by foreign donors and governments, actual financing of the project’s intended outcomes is invariably a minor part of the expenditure ultimately certified as legit!

Much goes towards “administration”, “miscellaneous” or running costs factored into projects so that individuals may line their pockets with monies that should be going to paying for schooling fees and educational material, infrastructure development, medical equipment and supplies, clothing, agricultural machinery, training of teachers, educators and peer facilitators. Instead you see many NGOs with fancy cars, plush offices, designer clothes and I cannot but think to what better use those monies could have gone for?

I am divided on whether more money should be allocated to actual implementation costs and less to the administrative side of the project, or whether this is a natural consequence of having to find experienced people to run such activities effectively?

I am also inclined to think that more could actually be done by good-hearted volunteers than certain development aid workers.

However, public administrations have taken it upon themselves to ensure that volunteers also get a good run for their “money” as temporary working visa’s are just hard to come by and at times even more expensive than business or tourist visa’s to obtain.

As one good friend of mine warned me as I was desperately trying to find a more cost-effective way to clear the second-hand sports wear and clothing for the orphans and boys and girls at the sports academy I was helping, in this work, there is hardly a thing left in this world, that one can honestly call charity.

So where does the buck stop? Or where should it start? Is it the sole responsibility of the government to take care of its citizens, or should the citizens also have a part in this play called life? Where should the international community stand … on the forefront or backstage? Should we as concerned members of the world community be providing free assistance or are we right to expect appropriate payment for our involvement in other people’s affairs?

For the past couple of years I have gone along my own way doing what I thought was my daily good deed, whether this benefited the needy more than it did me is still a thought I ponder on every night as I close my eyes and images of these instances flicker in front of me.

Can one really expect to heal the trials and tribulations by handing out dried rice or giving a caring hug? Because, one cannot stop and not think of what happens after that bag of rice is gone and there is no one else to comfort those hunger pains that become so sharp that they are side splitting and knee capping that one has no more energy to think about the next day let along provide for it?  

In my mind I like to think that through empowerment more can be done than through the billions of dollars pumped into failing government investment plans that attract and benefit only the richest amongst the richest, whilst tearing up the livelihoods of those people who are essentially supposed to be benefiting from such investments as highways and production plants and energy stations are build in their own back yard or through their own kitchen.        

Nowadays banks are financing social projects all over Africa and the world. Building sports centres, financing schools and supplying hospitals. What one fails to see is that these projects are financed by the same people the banks say the facilities will benefit.

From the outrageous monthly banking charges levied on all account holders (that may amount to a fifth of the monthly salary income) to the offering of new home, first car, surround-sound system financing facilities that are plastered on billboards all around towns, pushing the poor into further poverty and at times … homeless after repossession in times of credit restrictions such as these. 

Of course it is always those who cannot pay that pay the most in the end.

Banks don’t squeeze the corporate elite on back payments because they know that if tables turn than a big client is lost. But who cares if “Joe plumber”, as Senator John McCain likes to call them, cannot come up with a payment or two? “Joe who???”

In times like these governments around the world are being hailed as “brave” and “forward looking” as they bail out big business to keep producing vehicles that, lets face it, no one can afford, etcetera. When the real problem was the system in the first place.

We all know that the hot shots at the head of boardroom tables never go unscathed in such situations. At most they get a slap on the back of their hand and an early retirement package worth €500,000 a year. Of course for some one who’s used to a Christmas bonus to the tune of €2,000,000 that’s a hell of a set back to his festive season holiday jamboree in St. Moritz! But what of the 20,000 employees laid off at the beginning of this year in the UK alone following the foreclosure of one of Britain’s largest department stores? Has anyone heard how much they got to go back home with to the Missus and off-springs? I didn’t think so!

So what happens now?

Well the world will continue to spin and with it heads will continue to live upside down as others will try and reach the skies with their fingertips as they take on a second, third or even fourth job to pay the mortgage on the house and send the children to school.

The proof of the pie is in the eating, or so they say. Because when one sees the ingredients put into the pie, unless one suffers of severe cataracts or complete blindness, it should be immediately evident that the end result is hardly suitable for the scavenger dogs loitering on the doorstep, let alone the salvation of humanity.

And this can be said for the never ending saga of Zimbabwe, with the international community sitting on its laurels as Mugabe claims the country his and thousands die of malnutrition and Cholera, now that it seems like the whole world has turned its back on them.

The same could be said to the ongoing clashes in the Middle East between Israel and Palestine. All pointing fingers at each other whilst others continue to fuel the apprehensions and fears through arms deals, and oil interests.

In South Africa where I now find myself, there is no longer apartheid between blacks and whites which makes many people happy. But alas not everyone!

The division today between the rich and the poor is growing ever more and whilst there doesn’t seem to be much love around between the people of the rainbow nation, daily killings and robberies are on the increase as the country prepares itself to go to the polls again in a few months time and, host the biggest sporting festival in the world in just over a year. 

Which brings me back to my original point of departure … how much can sports and the people like you and me, the “Joe plumber’s” of this world, bring about the change that is needed to help ourselves out of this rut that the dear politicians have laid out for us?

I fervently believe a lot!

Of course we have to forget of the fallen heroes such as those that have raised football from a mere poor man’s hobby to a multi-billion business transaction.

Forget about the Maradona’s that have disgraced the fact that his success emanated from such humble beginnings due to alcohol and drug abuse; forget the Ronaldo’s who’s claim to fame has led them from heading the tabloids due to their exploits on the football pitch to those around night clubs; forget even about the Cannavaro’s of this world who from world cup winning, world player of the year, sold his own worth in reputation for stratospherical salaries.

Focus instead on the joy and happiness that is grows on the bemused faces of the little kids in the Brazilian favelas, or along the sandy shoreline in Malawi once you present them with a real football instead of their plastic bag bound, condom football.

Play for an hour with the drug rehabilitating patients in the Indian wilderness, and feel the pressure of the appreciation squeezed through your bones as they cling onto your hand with a new found determination and sheer delight, or play cricket along the littered train tracks along the back alleys of an overpopulated village with the children of the families that live underneath plastic tarpaulin held up by columns of stacked bricks pilfered from the crumbling station in the foreground, and you will hear the screams of utter thrill not in their high-pitched voices but through their chests as they hug your head against their bony torso’s in thanks and contentment!

And all is forgotten! 

And all is there to be built on!

A community based on values, common interests and determination to succeed. Passion and priorities are interwoven in the conduct of their activities and the sharing of the spoils.

All these are ingredients found in any football or sporting team.

More often than not, it becomes the breading ground of great leaders in communities and the inspiration of many more all over the world.

With globalization and the penetration of television in homes in even the most austere conditions, children, youths, adolescents are given the opportunity to dream and even give vent to their innermost desires to bring, to BE the change that is needed for them selves, their loved ones and, their communities.

Is caring enough to lead the way out of the dark? I don’t know, but for some it works, so why not try after all … share a game and play for life!

As I reflect on my days in Zambia, with the effects of my malaria infection well worn off now, and silence reigns momentarily in this household, I Have finally found some time to put pen to paper on some recurrent thoughts I’ve been having during my stay here.  

Whilst it has been difficult to concentrate on spending time in front of this laptop and type away thoughts and ideas that have been randomly popping up in my mind, I have been frustrated at my inability to transform these thoughts into anything concrete; such as the answers to the multitude of questions that I ask myself as I walk the pot-holed streets on my way to the football pitch every day; or the doubts I have on the effectiveness of the development assistance we provide here as I struggle to make myself understood with those I am trying to work with; or my incomprehension of public policies that limit the access to free schooling beyond primary levels.

On Sports as a Development Tool 

During the run-up to the Presidential by-elections just held on the 30th of October I had plenty of chances to discuss with family members, friends, and people in the street on the worth of the campaign promises made by the candidates on the issue of education. To my surprise, for many it was not the main issue of concern.

To appreciate this one has to understand Zambia’s current literacy situation: 30% of the total adult population are illiterate (Source: Unicef Zambia)! What follows is a natural consequence of an “economy” built on foreign investment in heavy industries like mining, whilst at the other end of the scale lies rural agriculture.

What comes in between is a mix match of opportunity and necessity with early school leavers throwing them selves at every kwacha possible, whilst others roam around the streets in search of the odd job that my help to pay for family needs.

One of the issues I have had to deal with whilst coaching the boys here at BSA is trying to get them round to think not solely for ‘today’, but also try and foresee what may be the needs for tomorrow.

Tough I know, but some have already responded in ways that may foretell future reflection before action. With others, especially the “ring leaders” of the lot, the likelihood that this way of thinking will change, is far more unlikely.

The reasons are as varied as the excuses some of these boys come up with for skipping training or even games. Mainly though their rhetoric is based purely on the peers around them.

Over the weekend, one of they boys was hit by a car owned and driven by a ‘friend’ who was showing off his driving skills in front of the rest. The result ended Masaninge into an open sewage ditch and rushed to hospital for medical attention. 

Thankfully, he was sent home with just a few bruises, but it was the first time I literally felt like killing someone, and I had to turn away and throw stones at a concrete wall to avoid crying in front of the boys as I scolded them for “playing around with life” and “frequenting bad company when they should be sticking together like an extended family”. 

I felt it was my own child’s life that was threatened, that these boys were my boys, and it was my boys’ lives’ that was being endangered. So I scolded them and lectured them like a parent. I felt like a parent!     

The importance of the work that teachers and peer educators as well as volunteers involved in “informal” or “extra-curricular” educational activities is just as important as formal education and at times even more.

The relationships one builds when working together as a team can have greater impact on the lives of children that when being lectured as individuals in a class room. 

The complementarities are essential for the development of children, adolescents as well as adults. There are certain virtues and qualities that sports and team activities can contribute in a way that class room teaching may not always be able too.

Of course I am not suggesting that schooling is to be relegated to a secondary means of education. What I am saying though is that I have seen it in the eyes of the boys and girls who train and play on rough surfaces, often barefoot and experienced the impact of the power of learning through fun activities. 

It played a huge part in my own education and development, with both its ups and downs, but I would be denying a lot if I didn’t admit that without football I would have never learnt the importance of sacrifice and hard work, appreciation for what I had, and the need to share with others even the little you have for the general benefit of the team!

In Zambia and a larger extent most of Africa, football and sports can reach out to those corners where public policy cannot or doesn’t want to go for fear of loosing political power in the capital.

“Knowledge is Power” and key to the empowerment of those people who have been restricted the opportunities to improve their own conditions due to political greed. It may be imparted through personal contact and social relations, formal education and the simplicity of fun games.

All are part of the solution to a problem rooted in the egoism and short-sightedness of the “elected” few feeding on the “ignorance” of those they continue to relegate to the shadows of their business dealings!

Last weekend was one that saw the Academy involved in many activities including two football matched over the weekend for the Amateur team I coach, and one each for the U14, Girls and U17 teams. Due to the fact that the U14 and U17 coaches are part of the U17 and Amateur teams respectively our teams and the staff were stretched to their limits, with inevitable delays causing a little disruption to the various teams’ scheduling.

It was however great to see the commitment put into the games by the boys and girls, especially the Amateurs who played two away games within less than 24 hours rest in between the two.

Whilst the fitness and discipline of the boys themselves is bettering by the week, I cannot say the same with regards the situation of the Academy, which continues to suffer from the financial difficulties all small NGOs seem to face.

Project proposals are drafted, reviewed and submitted on a very regular basis I must admit, but hardly any of them actually tackle the very core aspect of BSA’s activities … the sports academy!

The focus has been mainly on trying to establish BSA as a leading youth development through sports institution in Zambia, and to their credit, they have a done a relatively good job to come this far in just 5 years. However, whilst efforts have been channelled to secure a more National and even international standing in this domain, it has left unfortunate gaps in the running of the organisation at the core level, whereby the boys and girls attending the academy’s various training grounds have to dribble the balls around construction debris, peeping boulders from beneath the dry, hard dirt grounds, at times even barefoot.

Truth be told the situation with regard to equipment isn’t as bad as I had feared, due to past contributions from donors, sponsors and the children’s own merits, who after having participated and competed successfully in various Europe-based tournaments came away with either football tops or boots.

The local community has also provided its support, albeit meagre.The main difficulty I find in digesting the situation the teams face on a weekly basis, is the lack of financing league game costs. These include transport to away games, food and payment of the referee when playing home. The costs range from a mere €12 for the referee when playing home games to a maximum of €60 for away games which covers transport (in a 12-seater minibus) and some food for those that wouldn’t have managed to eat before heading out for the game – as most do!It has been cause for much frustration and discussions between myself and the Academy’s staff.

I have proposed to have a look at the budget allocation and even accounts to try and fathom a way out of this situation, if indeed there is. But my appeals have fallen on deaf ears as if wanting to hide dark secrets from prying eyes.Thankfully, due to the generosity of friends and family, I have managed to fund raise enough money to cover the transport costs for the Amateur team whilst I am here, but this is only the tip of the iceberg!

The success of the organisation to deliver youth education through the programmes it promotes, is taking a bit of a beating due to the way both human and financial resources are being used. It is needless to say that human resources are very limited and increasingly so at the moment as the Founder has moved to England to complete a Masters in Sports Management and the Director is involved in a Social Work Degree at the University of Zambia.

Whilst this will undoubtedly strengthen the reputation and quality of the management and direction of the organisation in the long-run, currently, in present day Lusaka, I feel that the academy is suffering from the loss of man-power to support the children who are working so hard to reach their own goals in life, without the appropriate support.

I have made a promise to the boys in the team I am coaching that as long as I am involved with the Academy, nothing will fail them. However, this has also led me to assess the real impact of such short-term commitments, when it is quite reasonable to think that following my departure, financing will seize to exist as before and the team will fall back into the difficulties it did beforehand, nullifying the efforts they would have put into their training and stall the progression the team and the Academy has done so hard to achieve so far.

It is the perennial problem with such undertakings when financial support is limited to projects that, I order to help the global development of the organisation, tend to fail the very same at the grass roots.I have now been here for 6 weeks. I can see that on the pitch, the boys and girls who come under my supervision during training and at match games, they are responding: performance is improving. They have adapted not only their training and match attitudes, but the fighting spirit I try to instil in them - to overcome not only the inevitable obstacles confronted during the preparation of the games, as well as on match day itself – but also those barriers that invite themselves without fore warning to spoil the party at the end of the day.

They have become more respecting of opponents and the people trying to assist them; They have become more determined to succeed, seeking solutions to problems rather than complaining about restrictions; The team spirit I see with these guys is greater than any I myself can say I had when playing football myself!

So if this doesn’t deserve my full commitment, on and off the pitch I don’t know what does.

Even if I will only be here for another 6 weeks, I am adamant to show these kids that I am not the random muzungu who comes along waves his hands and screams out loud professing from the pulpits like the many church preachers dressed in rich garments, pointing fingers at culpable sinners whilst hunkering greedily over their meagre possessions, fattening themselves whilst their congregations go hungry, in the name of what?

The cogs are all tightly interlinked, without the Academy, project proposals will not be accepted, without which there is no possibility for the organisation to provide the children with educational opportunities and necessary support staff to mentor the young. The success of the former is crucial for the delivery of the latter, somehow though the mathematics is not working out, and at times I find myself wandering into oblivion, struggling with the calculations to find the right fix to this equation!

The follow-up to the Peace Day Tournament has left all involved with BSA even more breathless than the games we played during the event. Meeting, PR activities, thank you letters and evaluations, have left all grappling with the limited resources at hand and the bureaucratic obstacles to deal with.

The main problem dealing with customs officials for the release of the sports wear and clothing donated to BSA before I left from Malta.

I take this opportunity to thank everyone who helped with the donations: from all those who contributed financially, donated sports wear and material, to those who facilitated the freighting of the garments to Lusaka safely. The list would be too long to mention everyone individually here, but as our friend George W. Bush would put it, “make no mistake” you will be all thanked personally and rewarded for your generosity and good-heartedness.

To cut a long story short and avoid boredom, the ordeal lasted a total of five days, endless telephone calls, e-mails and personal pleas to everyone we knew could possible help. The main problem being the hefty import duty customs wanted to slap on me for the release of the goods.

No amount of personal letters from myself or the director of the academy would convince the stone-faced officials to waiver even a cent of the duty. Registration certificates, description of activities, letters of introduction, even the times article featuring yours truly collecting the goods were enough to break the seal of officialdom in this case.

Several factors led to this stand: primarily the addressee of the consignment – Me; secondly the price of the freight as indicated in the freight statement – way too high; thirdly the description of the goods – sports wear; thirdly, the addressee of the consignment – Me, a Muzungu.

Nothing would bend the resolve of the uniformed barrier behind the desk. They even pocked their fingers through the boxes to verify that the goods were actually second hand and not new, and the sight of a brand new football did not help amidst the 130 kgs of otherwise used garments.

In the end, with storage charges looming for every further day the goods stayed put, I decided to consult the donors who had contributed financially to the project before I left Malta, to see whether they were willing to spend their money on the taxes that needed to be paid. Thankfully, their understanding was overwhelming and I rented the first truck I could find that would not charge me an arm and a leg to take me to the airport.

Papers were presented … again, please made unsuccessfully and the gates only opened once the fresh colour of the Kwachas (Zambian currency: €1 = KWA 5000) I held in my hand were seen by the watchful eyes of the unsympathetic taxman.

Truth be told, a sort of discount was given to us when instead of using Euros as the currency denomination for the calculation of the charges, the weaker Dollar was applied to the formula and resulted in a € 100 reduction of my tax bill. Instead of KWA 2 million (€ 400), I paid KWA 1.5 (€ 300), with the academy paying the clearing charges and fees they would have had to do so in any case.

So six and a half hours later, I was squeezed between the front seat of the 4 x 4 used to transport us back and the boxes of sports goods for the children - the truck having abandoning us after having filled-up with diesel and an hour of waiting around.

Christmas became a mid-September feast as I anxiously unwrapped and ripped the boxes apart to ensure everything was there. I counted and re-counted; folded and re-folded; packed and re-packed several times in sheer glee until I slumped into bed past midnight with exhaustion and peace of mind.

Lessons learned: Address goods directly to a registered and certified tax exempt NGO; Do not include hefty freight costs on statements; Account for “mishaps” (as one wise person pointed out to me recently!); Never pay your transport bill before you actually get home! Keep your resolve – at the end of the day if you give up, the kids will suffer!

Hello and welcome to my new blog!

Here I will be recounting my days in Lusaka and coaching football at the Breakthrough Sports Academy (BSA) as part of my participation in the Global Education Network (GLEN) project for the months of September, October and November.

I hope you will find it interesting and also, help contribute to my stay in Zambia by leaving comments and forwarding suggestions on activites to undertake as part of the training schedule and general sports education and development activities. All suggestions are welcome!

Enjoy the "game",

Julian