Gift of A Football (Digital Download)
The children at the ICC and mobile projects love playing football. Football is a great way for the children to exercise, have fun and learn the true meaning of teamwork. The gift of football will pay for a ball for the children to play with....
The gift of football is perfect for any of your family or friends who are mad about football. Score the perfect present with the gift of football today.
Our famous footballer at Laughter Africa is Aminata (Amie). Three years ago she was living on the streets. Today she is playing football in the Sierra Leone Premier League.
Amie turned to the street after a fight with her Aunt, who believed only boys should play football. Like for most of the young people we support, the streets were a traumatic experience. After the market stalls closed for the day she would sleep under the empty tables though this was not a safe place. She was abused for being a girl who wanted to play football, was the survivor of sexual assaults and witnessed her best friend’s murder in a gang attack.
Laughter Africa is proud to be supporting Amie from the sidelines; helping Amie off the streets, back home with her Aunt, paying for her education and medical treatment so she can be at peak fitness to compete at the highest level. The Female Premier league finally officially launched in October 2022. Amie has had an amazing first season. So far she has played for SL Police, the Koya Queens and Ram K - all of them are major teams in the league. She is currently playing for Ram K. Her dream one day is to represent her country in the World Cup. Imagine…. from the streets to the World Cup! And now her dreams are finally coming true. She has been asked by the head coach for the Leone stars (the National Sierra Leone football team) to represent her country in December 2023. She said "It was my happiest moment. Thank you Laughter for making me who I am today."
Not only is Amie a superstar on the pitch, she is one off the pitch too. In February 2022 she started studying ‘Public Health’ at Milton Margai University. She is the first young person we have worked with who has applied for university. As well as supporting her football career, we are paying for Amie to go to university so that she has multiple options for her future.
To quote Amie “Football is my dream and my passion. It is who I am”. We are so unbelievably proud of you Amie, you are a role model to all the young people in Sierra Leone and around the world who have experienced homelessness.
To see an interview with Amie, please watch a documentary about Laughter Africa’s work here.