Good ol' Collingwood!

One of the things that we often forget when we think about developing countries is their need for recreation. We know they need food, education and employment but we forget that we all need to have some fun in our lives as well. What a wonderful day it was, therefore, when the Collingwood Football Club responded to Robyn's letter to Mick Malthouse (the coach of the Collingwood Football Club for those of you who aren't from Australia!) and sent four big boxes to her. They sent two bags of footballs and also some new uniforms for the senior soccer team the “Homesweeper Magpies”, as well as an assortment of other things. A huge thank you also goes to Harry O’Brien of Collingwood who was instrumental in organizing this and who like Robyn, is passionate about the people of Africa.

 Many of the children you will see playing with the balls in the attached photos have no balls or toys of their own. They have never received a gift for a birthday or Christmas, and while these balls will stay at Robyn’s, for many of them it would have been like all of their birthdays and Christmas’ coming together at once. Look at the big beaming smiles as they learn to kick!! Soccer is the favorite sport of Malawians but as you can see here they are quick to pick up some new skills! And as for the uniforms how proud do the “Homesweeper Magpies” look in their team photo! These guys take such great care and pride in their uniforms. They are washed in the lake after every game and stretched out on the sand to dry. This is not a country where if you lose or stain a uniform it can be replaced so these are very, very precious to them. For those of you who haven’t read the story check out the earlier story on this website of the “missing” jumper that was found two years later! So a huge thank you to all of those at the Collingwood Football Club. You may never understand just how important a gift this truly is, not just for the children and the “Homesweeper” team but also for Robyn who is your most ardent (some would say fanatical) supporter! For her to know that you care enough to do this, is a huge blessing for her and one of the many things that keeps her in Malawi doing what she does!! Thank you!