BIRMINGHAM – Aston Villa midfielder Marvelous Nakamba continues to give back to the communities in Zimbabwe that shaped him as a boy with a dream of becoming a professional footballer.
Nakamba grew up in Bulawayo and played for Zimbabwean clubs Highlanders and Bantu Rovers before his eventual move to France to join Nancy in 2012.
Five years and seven Champions League appearances later, Nakamba joined Premier League club Villa from Club Brugge for £11million and has used his platform as one of Zimbabwe’s most successful footballers to launch a charitable foundation that helps people back in his homeland.
The Marvelous Nakamba Foundation (MNF) was formed in 2019 and aims to use the power of sport and education to give back to communities in Zimbabwe.
In April of last year, The MNF announced that they had managed to pay for 1,000 school fees as parents had been struggling to cover those costs.
The students were selected through recommendations by school staff, with a focus on the underprivileged.
It followed on from MNF’s announcement that the charity had paid school fees for 1,500 children in 21 schools from five provinces through its education assistance programme (EAP), in February 2020.
“Marvelous grew up as a boy who loved football and as his family, we nurtured his talent and made sure he got all the support to attain his dream,” said MNF chairman Anthony Nakamba.
As a family and the Marvelous Nakamba Foundation we are proud of you. Continue to make a difference.”
The youth tournament be staged at White City Stadium on June 25 and 26 and
Nakamba added: “Grassroots football is very important for the survival of the game.
“We all came through the system and we benefited because we were afforded the chance at an early stage.
“Henceforth, it is befitting that we continue with the tradition of supporting grassroots sport,” said Nakamba, who was groomed at the famed Bantu Rovers Academy in Bulawayo.”
Nakamba’s charitable foundation has also taken the latest steps in a major project that will help shape the futures of many disadvantaged children in his home town Bulawayo
Nakamba has also pledged to fight against child marriages in his country, too.
Earlier this week, Nakamba was present as Unicef Zimbabwe held a press event ahead of the Day of the African Child, which lands on June 16, in Harare, the capital city of Zimbabwe.
In Zimbabwe, statistics show that one in every three women aged between 20-49 years are married before the age of 18, and Nakamba is committed to fight for change.
He said at the event: “I thrive to stand for what is right in society. I come from a disadvantaged background in Dinde, Hwange, down there.
“I have lived in a ghetto and you know growing up, you see a lot of abnormalities going on.
“I stand for what is right and I am going to use my brand to try and help in the best way possible.
“Girls have been disadvantaged in society since years back and we have to fight to end that.” – BirminghamLive