FC Vito Malaika youth soccer team travelling to Finland

The youth team from Tandahimba, Mtwara, is bringing success again to Tanzania. It is time for the 37th annual Helsinki Cup in Finland which started on July 9th. The 13-years old girls’ team called FC Vito Malaika from Tandahimba District has been training under the supervision of a Tanzanian coach for 16 months. All the 15 players that travelled to Finland were waiting to show their skills on the football pitch. Before Helsinki Cup they have participated in the East African cup held in Moshi during the last week of June.

In Moshi the Malaika girls experienced how to play at a big international football event. This was essential for their development as young women and players. The players are accompanied by their coach and a matron from SDA, Sports Development Aid, Mtwara.

At the time of writing this invitation the Malaika team has reached quarter final and the next days will show can they even go up to finals.

It is the first time that a Malaika team has reached quarter final level in the Helsinki Cup since their first participation in 2004.

The traditional FC Vito team has participated in Helsinki Cup since 2000. During that period, two bronze medals (year 2000 boys, 2006 boys) from one of the biggest youth football tournaments in Europe have been taken back home. The aim of Vito Malaika is to show their football skills with good manners and fair play. This year more than 800 teams from 15 countries are participating in the Helsinki Cup 2012.

The aims of taking Tanzanian teams to Finland are to strengthen the social development of girls, and increase international cooperation between Tanzania and Finland. School sport has become very important part of children’s lives in Mtwara. The global cooperation is also essential for the development of academic performance of the girls and all pupils in the primary schools.

Malaika is playing in Helsinki Cup thanks to the support of their sponsors Abbasi Exports, Wärtsilä Tanzania, Embassy of Finland and Orange Technologies from Tanzania.

The Finnish sponsors are People’s Village, Amer Sports, Nirás, Nokia, Stadium, Helsinki Cup, the Finnish Sport Federation, Harri’s Taxiservices and LiiKe. The team uses Turkish Airlines as their official carrier.

The players of FC Vito Malaika are from Tandahimba District:

Twaiba Jamali Mohamedi, Mwajuma Adinani Bakari from Matogoro primary school.

Umaya Chille Akatima, Zulfa Mwaya Yusufu, Diana Hussen Omar, Nuru Abdalah Salum, Zumla Abdallah Dadi from Tandahimba primary school.
• Siri Salumu Namangaya and Bushia Nawaitu Ausi from Malamba primary school.
• Hamida Mohamed Chipuputa, Bahati Nurudini Mego and Aisha Yunus Mchala from Mjimpya primary school.
• Fatuma Chidwa Selemani, Hasnati Mandanda Chibwana and Eva Shaibu Swalehe from Amani primary school
The coach of the team is Shaweji Nawanda from Tandahimba and the matron is Dora Kaniki from Sport Development Aid Mtwara.

The Finnish sports NGO LiiKe together with Sports Development Aid Mtwara (SDA) in close cooperation with Tanzanian authorities have been reintroducing schools sports in primary schools in three regions, Mtwara, Lindi and Singida.

The objective has been to increase school attendance and number of students who finish their primary education.

Up to now LiiKe has invested more than 1000 000 million USD in the Education through Sports in Tanzania. In addition LiiKe has invested over 500 000 USD in physical education development in 12 Teachers’ Colleges.

LiiKe and SDA have been distributing about 7 000 balls annually and hundreds of sports equipment. These organisations are regularly running sports seminars for primary and secondary school teachers in order to strengthen teaching of physical education and organising of competitions and tournaments in the regions.

The aim of LiiKe and SDA aim is to reduce the drop outs in primary schools and to improve the academic performance of the pupils. The organisations use sports as a tool for development.