It Starts With Soccer

Dyslexia assessment and training follow-up at Chidobe Secondary School, with our volunteer and dyslexia specialist, Alissa.

Prepping Chidobe Secondary School for the soccer and volleyball tournaments we are hosting for the boys and girls of four local Secondary schools on Saturday.

Our volunteer, Miles, spending a second day at Chidobe Secondary School, providing an introduction to playing piano on the rechargeable keyboards he has donated to the scool.

Dyslexia assessment and training with staff and students at Jabula Primary School, led by our volunteer and dyslexia specialist, Alissa.

Teaching the children at Jabula Primary School how to play the piano with rechargeable keyboards donated by our volunteer, Miles.

Soccer and volleyball clinics with the little ones at Jabula Primary School. 💙

Our volunteer, Alissa, doing a training on dyslexia with staff at Sikumbi Primary School.

Our volunteer, Miles, teaching the students at Sikumbi Primary how to play piano on the rechargeable keyboards he brought for them.

We hosted soccer and volleyball clinics today at Sikumbi Primary School, where we used sports promote the importance of getting a good education. All participants received instruction, school supplies, and refreshments. www.itstartswithsoccer.org/donate

Today, at Sikumbi Primary School, we opened our 3rd new sustainable school farm of the week. As a part of our agriculture program, we provided the students with hybrid seedlings and taught proper planting techniques in the greenhouse. Additionally we planted an orchard of orange and mango trees in the outside garden. www.itstartswithsoccer.org/donate

Our volunteer Alissa is a dyslexia teacher and she is educating staff at all the schools we visit in June. Dyslexia in rural Africa is just as common as anywhere else in the world, however teachers in rural Africa often have no knowledge or understanding of the learning disorder. As a result, most students struggling with dyslexia go undiagnosed, unsupported, remain illiterate, and ultimately fail or drop out of school.

Our volunteer, Miles, has brought rechargeable pianos for all the schools we are working with this June. He is providing instruction, as well, and has been quite the hit with the kids. Music is a subject at schools in the rural areas, but they rarely have any form of instrument to play. With Miles help, several schools will now be able to provide their students with a practical application of what they are learning in school. www.itstartswithsoccer.org/donate

Soccer and volleyball clinics at Chidobe Secondary today. Big thank you to our volunteers Owen, Alyssa, and Kayla for raising funds for the soccer goals and volleyball posts / net, balls, refreshments, and school supplies provided to the clinic participants.

ISWS Sustainable School Farms & Agriculture Education Program: First agriculture lesson at our new farm installed at Chidobe Secondary School. Big thank you to one of our volunteers on site today, Lillybelle, who raised the funds for the farm and helped plant the first crop and orchard.

Great day at several primary and secondary schools in Zimbabwe setting up for some of our events in the days ahead. Some of the set-up activities included the installation of soccer goals and volleyball posts; the presentation of school medical cabinets and supplies; as well as having heaps of fun with the children. www.itstartswithsoccer.org/donate

ISWS Sustainable School Farm & Agriculture Education Program: We are opening 3 new school farms this week in the rural areas outside of Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, and today we started with the new farm at Ndlovu Secondary School. The students learned how to plant seedlings from floating trays in the greenhouse (kale, cabbage, tomato, green pepper). We also provided fruit trees for an orchard, and the students planted those as well. Additionally we ran pipes to the garden and installed a tap for watering. Our agriculture program runs year-round, and follows the school curriculum. Crop yields are both used as nourishment for the students, as well as sold to the community to help raise funds for school needs. Big thank you to the Sternberg family for funding the new farm at Ndlovu Secondary and for supporting our work in Africa over the years. www.itstartswithsoccer.org/donate

Huge thank you to the Austin Blues, a Chelsea FC Supporters Club for their continued support of our work with under-served communities in Africa. It feels great to be supported by a group from our hometown, and one that shares our same love for the beautiful game. Together, ISWS and the Austin Blues, a Chelsea FC Supporters Club are making a difference!

ISWS Sustainable School Farms & Agriculture Education Program: Term 2 has started and we are planting new seedlings in the garden at Sizinda Secondary School, as well as checking on the progress of the tomato plants in the greenhouse. Beautiful day for learning in Zimbabwe! www.itstartswithsoccer.org/donate

ISWS Sustainable School Farms & Agriculture Education Program: Term 2 has started and we are planting new seedlings in the garden at BH36 Primary School, as well as checking on the progress of the tomato plants in the greenhouse. Another beautiful day for learning in Zimbabwe! www.itstartswithsoccer.org/donate

ISWS recently had the pleasure of installing a water well in the village of Buiketo, Zambia. The project was funded by our partner organization, Kids United Pediatric Dentistry and their non-profit arm (Lalumwe), which is a wonderful organization that seeks to transform rural communities in Africa by providing access to water, solar, medical, and education assistance. More ISWS & Lalumwe projects to come! www.itstartswithsoccer.org/donate

ISWS Sustainable School Farms & Agriculture Education Program: Working with the students at Sizinda Secondary School on managing their crops in the greenhouse. The seedlings are growing and it will only be a matter of time before the plants are big enough produce fruits and vegetables for the school. Keep up the great work, Sizinda Secondary! www.itstartswithsoccer.org/donate

Soccer clinic at Sizinda Secondary in the rural areas outside of Victoria Falls! As always, our soccer clinics promote the importance of getting a good education and all clinic participants receive instruction, refreshments, and much needed school supplies. Great job, Sizinda Secondary! www.itstartswithsoccer.org/donate

ISWS Sustainable School Farms & Agriculture Education Program: After successful harvests, it's time for planting new crops in the greenhouse and Simakade Primary School. They're only seedlings now, but the vegetables they will produce will help provide food and income for the school. Keep up the great work, Batoka Secondary! www.itstartswithsoccer.org/donate

Soccer clinic at Simakade Primary in the rural areas outside of Victoria Falls! As always, our soccer clinics promote the importance of getting a good education and all clinic participants receive instruction, refreshments, and much needed school supplies. Great job, Simakade Pr! www.itstartswithsoccer.org/donate

ISWS Sustainable School Farms & Agriculture Education Program: After successful harvests, it's time for planting new crops in the greenhouse and Batoka Secondary School. They're only seedlings now, but the vegetables they will produce will help provide food and income for the school. Keep up the great work, Batoka Secondary! www.itstartswithsoccer.org/donate

ISWS Sustainable School Farms & Agriculture Education Program: First maize harvest at Chimbombo Primary. Small crop, successful outcome, and big things to come. Well done, Chimbombo! www.itstartswithsoccer.org/donate

Soccer clinic at Chimbombo Primary in the rural areas outside of Victoria Falls! As always, our soccer clinics promote the importance of getting a good education and all clinic participants receive instruction, refreshments, and much needed school supplies. Great job, Chimbombo Pr! www.itstartswithsoccer.org/donate

ISWS Sustainable School Farms & Agriculture Education Program: The students at Batoka Secondary School did a great job raising their maize crops this term, and were able to sell some of the yield to members of the community to raise money for needs at their school. Aside from generating income for the schools, the crop yields provide nourishment for students and staff. Well done Batoka Secondary! www.itstartswithsoccer.org/donate

ISWS Sustainable School Farms & Agriculture Education Program: The children at Mizpah Primary have done a great job raising their first maize crops and today they learned how to harvest. Maize is the staple of the Zimbabwean diet and if the schools are successful growing their own maize, they won't have to rely on outside help to provide this important source of food to the students. Well done, Mizpah Primary! www.itstartswithsoccer.org/donate