With the crucial help of Karibuni ODV, our football academy, Real Malindi, was once again able to register its Under-19 team in the Kenya National Football Federation's regional championships this year, and in fact can continue its project to save so many kids from the pitfalls and enticements of the streets, including drugs and petty crime.
This is the philosophy of Real Malindi, founded by Malindikenya with coach and educator David Badili Kenga in 2016, the same as the more well-known Malindi United, whose youth section was for four years, from 2009 to 2013, sponsored by the Italian club Genoa and Karibuni itself.
The idea is to gather youngsters from the poorest neighbourhoods of the town and through the stimulus of playing football and being part of a real team, teach them cohesion, respect for the rules, the will to follow a certain lifestyle and above all the importance of education, the first fundamental value to be able to change one's life. In fact, the deserving kids not only receive a scholarship and can go on, if they want and have the qualities to even graduate, but they have a guaranteed place in the Real Malindi. While even the most crystalline talent, if he does not apply himself or does not attend classes, will have to watch his teammates from the bench.
The success of our initiative is exemplified by the general secretary of Real Malindi Soccer Academy, Joseph Nyababwe. He, an orphan from the outskirts of Malindi, was the first captain of the Karibuni Genoa and was so committed to his studies that he was enrolled first in high school and then in a short degree in Human Resources at a college in the north of the country. In the meantime, an injury denied him a sporting career, but he went one better, graduating and making himself available to help and nurture, together with coach Badili, the other kids who later started out in the same condition as him.
For them, at the age of 10, it is essential to be able to see the older team playing in a real official tournament: it is the extra incentive to study and follow training, to dream of a better future and to finally abandon the too many temptations of the street. Thanks to this system, in 2012 Malindi United was awarded by the Malindi institutions for having contributed to a significant reduction in juvenile delinquency in the suburbs.
Real Malindi started the league yesterday with an away defeat, 4-2.
But with shiny new uniforms and new shoes donated by Karibuni Odv, which from this year is partnering with us to finance the academy's programme. Counting, as always, on the friends of Real Malindi, from the fans of Genoa CFC 1893 to the readers of the portal of Italians in Kenya, to other donors and sponsors who will want to join us this year.
As always, we will document the adventure of a project that continues to give us great satisfaction.
Thank you Karibuni, thank you Badili, Joseph and all the guys!!!