Football Boots and Big Smiles: Al-Walidayn Centre, August 2026

Football Boots and Big Smiles: Al-Walidayn Centre, August 2026

Back in September last year, we visited Al-Walidayn Centre in Ukunda, Kenya. It's a rescue centre that looks after both boys and girls, run side by side. We met Abdulhakim, the boys centre manager, and got chatting about the kids and what they loved doing.

Football came up pretty quickly. He told us there was a growing number of boys absolutely mad about the sport, but most of them played barefoot. They didn't have proper boots. We made a promise there and then to do something about it.

It took us a while to make good on that promise. Life gets busy, things move slowly, but we never forgot. This August, we finally delivered.

We bought 40 brand new football boots. 28 for the boys, 12 for the girls. Abdulhakim handled the ordering and distribution on the ground, and he sent us the best kind of update. Apparently, some of the boys were so over the moon they slept with their boots in their beds. You can't make that stuff up.

We also want to give a shout out to Salrak, the photographer and videographer who captured the moment the kids first tried on their boots. The photos speak for themselves.

Football boots might seem like a small thing. A nice to have. But when you're a young kid who's been through a lot, and you love a sport so much you're willing to play barefoot on a dusty pitch, having proper boots changes things. It says someone sees you. Someone cares.

We're glad we finally kept that promise.

This is what change brews like.

Coffee World Change Team