As Tanzania, Australia, and hopefully the world begins to emerge from more than a year living under the covid pandemic I am delighted to report that, despite the challenges, Lengo has continued to make a difference to the community it serves, and with your continued help is ready to emerge as strong as ever and […]
As Tanzania, Australia, and hopefully the world begins to emerge from more than a year living under the covid pandemic I am delighted to report that, despite the challenges, Lengo has continued to make a difference to the community it serves, and with your continued help is ready to emerge as strong as ever and ready to forge ahead.
Tanzania recently also experienced the devastating tragic loss of popular leader, President Magufuli, but in true style the community has pulled together to move forward again.
With the world in lockdown and most international travel ground to a halt, it has been difficult to dispatch collected football gear to Arusha, and the football academy has stepped up to make good with what gear they already have, plus sourcing anything extra from local resources as possible.
It has enabled Lengo to continue scoring goals on and off the football field. One of the most exciting achievements has been the success of the Lengo Lady Lions team. Our women’s team, which has already had one player invited to train with the Tanzanian Women’s national team, won the honour of representing the entire Arusha region in national play-offs. Beating much better resourced competitors, our women’s team will travel up to 11 hours by bus to the national capital, Dodoma, to compete for Arusha against representative teams from 19 other regions throughout the country in the official Second Division national competition. A phenomenal achievement.
The Arusha FA will cover costs of accommodation and meals for the duration of the competition and Lengo provide travel to allow our women players to take this important step in their personal and sporting development, earned by their talent and hard work.
There are now around 200 players, mostly children, in regular daily training under the guidance of our great coaches. And we have been able to continue to maintain high numbers sponsored to attend school, thanks to donations to our Kick Starter programme, which continues to change these children’s lives and to help develop the community’s future leaders and providers.
One outstanding example of this is Goodluck Noah, who, thanks to the generosity of Lengo donors, principally David Lye and his family from Sydney, has fulfilled his lifelong ambition by completing studies to qualify as a doctor. He is now helping his community and providing for his family by working a paid internship at a local hospital to complete his formal training. He will be formally inducted soon as a fully qualified doctor and I will report more on Goodluck in our next newsletter. We are so proud of Goodluck, and so grateful to you, our donors, who have enabled him to fulfil his promise on behalf of the whole Lengo community.
Education holds the key for those in our Arusha community to break the cycle of poverty and provide for their family and fellow community members.
Despite the effects of the pandemic on the global economy and logistics, we have continued partnering – albeit remotely – with the globalFootball for Friendshipprogram, enrolling our players Shamsia and Baraka to participate in F4F’s online event, and also helping to organise teams from Australia, New Zealand, Tonga and Indonesia. In recognition our coach, Alvin, was invited to travel from Tanzania as a guest of F4F, along with myself travelling from Australia, to attend the forthcoming European Championship finals in Portugal. Unfortunately, red tape and flight restrictions means neither of us were able to take up this generous, exciting offer.
Hopefully, such opportunities will be possible in future, as we emerge from the pandemic determined to redouble our efforts and progress with Lengo.
We continue to evolve to seek a broader range of funding to support our goals and hope to have news on this front soon. We well understood how economically challenging life was everywhere under lockdown but hope that now, as we begin to emerge from the pandemic, those of you, our friends and donors, who feel able to do so, will once again think of our Lengo community as this tax year comes to a close.
Our volunteers all continue to work hard, 100 per cent unpaid, so that every cent goes where it is needed. A charitable donation of any size will help sustain those in Arusha living on less than $1 a day.
In Australia and other First World countries ‘job keeper’ programmes and well-resourced public health provision has helped stave off catastrophe under covid. If at all possible, now would be a wonderful time to share a fraction of that good fortune with those less well off.
We have deductible gift recipient (DGR) status and can offer a tax deduction for donations over $2. When you make adonationto Lengo Football Academy you will be providing our young players with the opportunity to continue going to school five days a week. Your donation will impact the rest of their lives and help break the cycle of poverty.
Each year we purchase a kick starter pack for each player we support.
These packs include:
The investment is only $100 per player.
You can make a difference to a young player’s life by donating any amount you can to the School Kick Starter program today. Help ignite change in their lives today by donating to keep them in school.
We thank you in advance for your support.
Be blessed.
Emanuel Saakai