Shropshire football team's kind gesture helps tackle poverty for African children

Following last year’s Kings Kids Baptist Appeal, which saw Bridgnorth Spartans collect and donate football shirts for vulnerable children in Nigerian care centres, Ian Seymour, the locally-based mission support worker for Bridgnorth Baptist Church, has provided a heart-warming update on how the donations were received.

“The trip went well and the football shirts were enthusiastically received by the junior boys and girls, as well as the secondary-aged lads,” said Ian, who visited Nigeria at the end of last year. “There was a lot of excitement amongst the children when receiving these, and I’m confident they will be worn with pride, especially during matches against other local youth teams.”

The shirts were delivered to Kings Kids, a branch of City Ministries based in Jos, Nigeria. Kings Kids is a project that reaches out to some of the most vulnerable members of society, including orphans, widows, the disabled, and those affected by poverty and trauma. At the heart of the initiative are 10 care centres spread across Nigeria, which provide full-time care for approximately 350 children who have lost one or both parents, or who come from extreme poverty or have been displaced by terrorism.

In addition to the shirts, Ian was able to source 40 pairs of football boots for the younger children. While not enough to provide every child with their own pair, the boots and shirts will be shared among the 120+ children, ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to enjoy the game.

But this initiative is about much more than football. All of the children at these care centres have faced significant life-changing difficulties and acts of kindness like this play an important role in their healing process. 

“It shows them they are not forgotten and that they are valued individuals,” Ian explained.

Beyond the excitement of football, Ian’s primary work in Nigeria focuses on developing sustainable food production to help care centres combat the severe cost of living crisis affecting the country. His most recent trip placed a special emphasis on improving farm outputs at a girls’ care centre, introducing techniques to enhance crop yields of maize, tomatoes, peppers, beans, soya, and sesame. 

The team is also developing small-scale aquaponic systems to rear fish, providing a crucial protein source for the children’s diet. 

“This trip allowed us to identify ways to enhance these systems to improve both food production and economic viability,” Ian said.