Alive & Kicking
Alive & Kicking is the world’s only not-for-profit ball maker, producing properly fancy footballs and creating jobs in sub-Saharan Africa.
They’ve made nearly one million balls since 2004, and contributed £5,013,416 to local economies in Ghana, Kenya and Zambia. Of their staff, 90% had never held a formal job before. Plus, they also have a scheme where they give footballs to local kids: 178,930 balls to be precise.
- Location Ghana, Kenya, Zambia
- Working on Opportunity - jobs, education, health
When was the last time you thought about where a football came from? As in, where it was made, not who is responsible for sending it flying towards your head at a picnic. We hadn’t thought about it either, until we met Jim Cogan from Alive and Kicking.
Their balls are great to look at, with bright, juicy colours. They also last around eight times longer than a synthetic football. Put it this way, you would wade into a canal, or deal with any number of angry neighbours, to get this one back.
They don’t just provide jobs, they provide <stable> jobs, with sick pay, holiday pay and pension schemes. Over 99% of the Alive and Kicking staff are based in sub-Saharan Africa, including makers, marketing and finance staff.
Why they are different:
The level of craft and detail in each ball is something else: pieces are individually cut and then stitched by hand. The patterns are silk screen printed and inspired by everything from 1990s Liverpool shirts to African fish eagles.
Why they are kind:
They’ve made nearly one million balls since 2004, and contributed £5,013,416 to local economies in Ghana, Kenya and Zambia. Of their staff, 90% had never held a formal job before. Plus, they also have a scheme where they give footballs to local kids: 178,930 balls to be precise.
"When you grow up somewhere very remote, with no nearby shops, making use of absolutely everything is second nature."
