Partners in Malawi.
UNGWERU and St. Patrick are the pillars of the project. Without them, Football is Life in Soweto is not possible.
Our philosophy
Locally carried, built together.
Football is Life is not a project rolled out from the Netherlands. It is a joint programme carried locally by partners who know the community from within.
Our two core partners in Malawi are UNGWERU , a local NGO with twenty years of community development experience, and St. Patrick's Missionary Society , deeply rooted in the community of Mzuzu and Soweto.
Together we work from the principle of shared ownership. Decisions are made jointly, responsibilities are shared, and the programme remains theirs long after our involvement ends.
Local partner
UNGWERU
UNGWERU is a local NGO in Mzuzu that has worked on sustainable community development in northern Malawi since 2004. They carry the daily operational coordination of Football is Life.
Background
UNGWERU was founded in 2004 by a group of local leaders who saw that lasting development in northern Malawi could only work if carried by the community itself. Since then, the organisation has built programmes around education, healthcare, food security and youth development.
One of the core programmes is the Youth Development Unit (YDU) , which focuses on empowerment of young people through training, life skills and leadership development. Football is Life connects directly to this programme.
The organisation is entirely locally governed and rooted in the communities of Mzuzu. Their knowledge of local dynamics, cultural context and social ties is indispensable for any intervention that aims to have lasting impact.
UNGWERU also runs the Lusekelo School of Computing and Tailoring , a vocational school that teaches young people concrete professional skills. The same logic applies to the Football is Life project: teaching skills that are immediately usable in daily life.
Programmes
Education
Educational programmes for children and young people in rural communities
Youth Development
Leadership, life skills and perspective for young people in Mzuzu
Livelihoods & Food Security
Livelihood and food security for vulnerable families
Health
Health programmes focused on prevention and awareness
Lusekelo School
Vocational school for computing and tailoring skills for young people
Role in the partnership
UNGWERU leads the daily management of Football is Life in Soweto. They select participants, coordinate coaches, organise logistics and handle monitoring and reporting. Their long-term presence in the region ensures the programme continues to run, also in the long term.
More about UNGWERU: ungweru.org
Community partner
St. Patrick's
St. Patrick's Missionary Society has deep roots in the community of Mzuzu and Soweto. They provide the connection with schools, churches and residents.
Background
St. Patrick's Missionary Society is an international Catholic society that has been active in Malawi for decades. In the Archdiocese of Mzuzu, they look after an extensive network of education and care facilities.
In the region they run 263 primary schools, 5 secondary schools, 2 vocational schools and 1 theological institute. These networks form natural connecting points with young people and families.
Their presence in neighbourhoods, churches and schools makes them uniquely suited to build bridges – especially in a neighbourhood like Soweto, where outside parties often struggle to gain access. For Football is Life, this position of trust is crucial.
263
Primary schools
In the Archdiocese of Mzuzu
5
Secondary schools
Spread across the region
2
Vocational schools
Vocational training for young people
1
Theological institute
Training and formation
Role in the partnership
St. Patrick opens doors that remain closed to outsiders. Through their network of schools, churches and community contacts we find participants, build support and anchor the programme in the community. Without this connection, Football is Life in Soweto would not be possible.
Partner in the Netherlands
VVCS.
VVCS is the representative body for professional footballers in the Netherlands. Alongside legal support, career guidance and mental health care, VVCS commits to social projects. Through VVCS we receive training kit and sports equipment for the project in Soweto.
Contribution
Training kit and sports equipment for coaches and young people
A bridge between professional football and grassroots development
Social commitment from the players' association
Training partner
Libre Foundation.
Libre Foundation provides free leadership and communication training for local organisations in developing countries. In 2023 they facilitated 13 two-day trainings in Africa and Asia and 7 in Latin America. Paul van Zwam and Ivo Spanjersberg work as trainers at Libre Foundation. Football is Life grew out of this experience.
Contribution
Free leadership training for local organisations in developing countries
Active in Africa, Asia and Latin America
Direct methodological basis for the Trainer Coach 1 programme
Collaboration
How the partnership works.
Three organisations, each with their own role, connected by shared ownership and a common goal.
Local anchoring and coordination
UNGWERU handles daily management, participant selection, monitoring and reporting. They know the community from within.
Community connection and school access
St. Patrick makes the connection with schools, churches and residents. They open doors that are closed to outsiders.
Methodology, training and funding
Football is Life provides the football methodology, the Trainer Coach 1 programme, funding and two years of intensive support.
Shared ownership
All decisions are made together. The model is not knowledge transfer, but joint development that remains locally rooted.
UNGWERU
Anchoring
St. Patrick
Connection
Football is Life
Methodology
The local team
The people on the ground.
The daily programme in Soweto is carried by a team that knows the community from within. They are not hired hands – they are the community.
Crief
Coordinator
Crief coordinates daily activities in Soweto and is the first contact point for the community. He monitors progress and ensures connection between all parties.
Sam
Coordinator
Sam provides individual guidance to young people and organises weekly life skills sessions. He knows participants' home situations and identifies where extra attention is needed.
Isaac
Local coach
Isaac guides young people on and off the pitch in Soweto and is a trusted face for the whole community. He connects the programme to the neighbourhood and supports the weekly training sessions.
Leo
Adviser
Leo advises the team on local context and helps connect schools and organisations. His experience and network are essential for programme embedding.
What sets us apart
Local ownership,
not traditional aid.
The difference between a project that disappears after funding ends and a programme that keeps running lies in who carries it. At Football is Life, that is the local partners.
Traditional model
Football is Life
Western organisation directs, local partners execute
Local partners are co-owners of the model and help steer it
Short project cycle, then departure
Two years of intensive support after delivery, aimed at independence
Knowledge is imported
Knowledge is developed locally and anchored through the Trainer Coach 1 programme
Reporting to donors as the goal
Reporting as a means – the goal is local capacity that lasts
Scaling driven from the West
Growth only when the local foundation is in place and the team is ready
Photo: “Young girl practices her soccer skills, Khayelitsha, Cape Town” © Ed Suter (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Help build local
ownership.
Every donation strengthens not only the programme, but also the local organisations that carry it.