Buy a football, help African children

This Christmas buy someone an African-made Fairtrade football and you will automatically gift another ball to an underprivileged African child who has never had the chance to play with a proper football.

The handmade Alive & Kicking footballs cost £32.50 and arrive hand-wrapped in a gift box with a card marking your donation.

The footballs are made out of locally sourced materials in Kenya and Zambia and are professionally stitched by local adults who are given essential employment at a fair wage by the UK charity Alive & Kicking (http://www.aliveandkicking.org.uk).

For £80 you can choose to donate five balls to children in Africa and the recipient of the gift in the UK will receive a gold gift card detailing the donation. Or you can donate 10 balls for £140, or 50 balls for £600. For each of these gifts, the recipient in the UK can receive regular updates from the children who have received the balls.

Alive & Kicking director Will Prochaska says, “These footballs are the perfect Christmas present for any football fan. By purchasing one you’re helping someone in Kenya and Zambia stay in employment, and you’re also giving an underprivileged African child the opportunity to play with a proper football – often for the very first time.”