There is something quietly profound about a football. It needs no language. It crosses borders, breaks silences, and brings strangers into the same circle within seconds. At Alive and Kicking, we have always believed this. But this May, that belief was not just reaffirmed — it was witnessed by some of the most powerful leaders on the continent, and celebrated on one of Africa’s biggest stages.
Built to Make a Difference
In the second week of May, Alive and Kicking had the honour of partnering with the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) — the French Development Agency — at the African Forward Summit. Together, we created a collection of custom-made, hand-stitched leather balls specially designed to embody the spirit of the summit: Africa’s potential, youth empowerment, and sport as a driver of sustainable development.
Every ball we make is an act of purpose. Stitched by skilled artisans in Kenya, each one creates dignified employment in communities that need it — that is what we Make. It was only natural that the balls we brought to this summit told the same story: that impact begins with people, with their hands, and with the belief that work itself is a form of dignity.
The collaboration with AFD was more than a branding exercise. It was a meeting of two organisations that share a common conviction — that investment in people and grassroots tools like sport can ripple outward in ways no infrastructure project alone can achieve.
Three Presidents and a Circle of Children
But perhaps what will stay with us longest from the summit was a simple, human moment.
Presidents Macron, Ruto, and Faye — leaders of France, Kenya, and Senegal — stepped off the formal stage and onto the pitch to kick a ball with a group of young children. No speeches. No podiums. Just three heads of state, a circle of kids, and one of our hand-stitched balls passing between them.
“You matter, your future matters, and the tools of your world — your games, your joy, your streets — are worth the attention of the most powerful people in the room.”
For those children, it was more than a photo opportunity. It was proof that the right to Play — to have access to sport, to be seen on a pitch, to have a ball at your feet — is not a luxury. It is a right worth championing at the highest level. That is what sport does. That is what a ball can do.
Sport as a Tool for Development
When institutions like AFD choose to partner with purpose-driven social enterprises like ours, they make a powerful declaration: that sustainable development does not only flow from boardrooms and policy papers — it also rises from the ground up, from communities, from children who learn resilience, teamwork, and belonging on a dusty pitch.
We are deeply grateful to AFD for making space for Alive and Kicking at this table. We are proud that our balls were part of this moment. And we are more committed than ever to the work ahead.
