By Carly Brumgard, Semester at Sea, Spring 2017
Most all Ghana people are a part of the soccer world. They live eat breathe their love for this competitive game. This is what they look forward to doing every day, literally. I am not talking about playing soccer, I am talking about being the maker of the product that makes soccer possible: the ball. Those who are employed by Alive and Kicking, a social enterprise, know that what they are doing is helping the population as a whole. They make soccer balls, volleyballs, some hand balls, and rugby balls. Their sole purpose is to not make a profit but to achieve a social objective. The three purposes of Alive and Kicking are to create employment, use sports to promote health, and to provide every kid in Africa with a proper soccer ball. This company first started in Kenya then spread to Zambia. This then hit South Africa and next to Ghana.
In 2012 Alive and Kicking reached out to people on the streets specifically those with polio to provide employment for their business while also benefitting the employee. I met one employee who has polio and he seemed happy with the position he was in and very thankful that he was given the opportunity to get off the streets and start helping a great cause. There are currently 52 employees at the Ghana located and 1,500 balls are made per month. For each profit that they make, this goes to raising the salaries of their employees. All of Africa is benefiting from this great cause and kids are definitely happier when they have easy access to their favorite sport. All kids should have the opportunity to play the greatest sport out there, even the less fortunate.
