Football for Peace: BAKAID Donates a Football to Kilindoni Primary School in Mafia

On the football pitch, it does not matter where you come from, what you believe or which side of an argument you stand on. Everyone plays by the same rules, works as one team and shares in the same joy of the game. At BAKAID Tanzania, we believe that sport is one of the places where people come together, talk and build friendships without looking at their differences.

Guided by this belief, BAKAID Tanzania, through its Peace Building project in Pwani Region, has donated a football to Kilindoni Primary School in Mafia District to promote peacebuilding and social cohesion among children and the wider community.

Pictured above, the Peace Building Project Coordinator hands over a football to the school’s sports teacher, who will use it to organise games and activities for pupils.

Why football?

Football is the most popular sport in Tanzania and one of the easiest ways to bring people together. Through school and community games, children learn values that are at the heart of peaceful communities:

• Teamwork – working together towards a shared goal;
• Respect – for team-mates, opponents, referees and the rules;
• Tolerance and inclusion – playing alongside children of different backgrounds and faiths;
• Handling disagreements peacefully – accepting results and resolving conflicts without violence.

Starting with the young generation

Children who learn early to live, play and solve problems together grow into adults who value dialogue over conflict. Sports activities also give young people a positive way to spend their time and a sense of belonging, which helps protect them from negative influences.

School matches and games also draw parents, teachers and community members to the field, creating natural opportunities for people to meet, interact and strengthen relationships across their differences.

Part of a wider effort for peace

This donation complements the wider work of the Peace Building project in Rufiji, Kibiti and Mafia, where BAKAID works with religious leaders, women, youth, the Police Community Policing Desk and local government to promote dialogue, early warning and peaceful coexistence.

BAKAID Tanzania thanks the leadership and teachers of Kilindoni Primary School for their partnership. We look forward to seeing the pupils enjoy the game and carry its spirit of unity into their families and community.