Ascent Soccer graduate, Faith Chinzimu, whose two goals helpe Malawi Scorchers to qualify for their first-ever Women’s Africa Cup of Nations
* Launches a #10for10 Campaign, which targets to raise US$100,000 to to lay the “foundation for the next decade of supporting Malawi’s under-served talent and promise
* Your impact is up to you! Every dollar impacts our five pillars: Soccer, Scholarship, Girls, Green, Grassroots
* And, your gift will expand our Green Leadership Academy, grow girls’ pathways, and empower the next generation of changemakers
By Duncan Mlanjira
Malawi’s most successful football academy, Ascent Soccer, is celebrating its 10th Anniversary in which it has impacted the transformation of football talent that has been exported outside the country.
Its graduates include national women football team players, Rose Kabzere playing for Montpellier in France, Faith Chimzimu for BK Hacken in Sweden and for Ascent Soccer itself Maggie Chavula, Maureen Kenneth and Letticia Chinyamula among others.
The Ascent Soccer ladies are currently runners-up in the inaugural women’s football top tier league, the National Bank (NBM) Women’s Premiership and its global scholars in the US and Canada, include six from Malawi — Elias Zebron who graduated at the Taft School and is at Trinity College in the US; Lughano Nyondo, a graduate at Northeastern University Brooks School.
Christina Kakhome is at Lake Forest College and graduate of Milton Academy; Latu Kayira at Brooks School; and at Milton Academy Emmanuel Cheyo and Daud Major.
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In celebrating the 10th Anniversary, Ascent Soccer has launched a #10for10 Campaign, which targets to raise US$100,000 to to lay the “foundation for the next decade of supporting Malawi’s under-served talent and promise”.
In its statement, Ascent Soccer entices sponsors that with ‘10 FOR THE NEXT 10’ one can make a one time gift towards the US$100,000 goal or start a monthly gift from just US$10/month.
“Your impact is up to you! Every dollar impacts our five pillars: Soccer, Scholarship, Girls, Green, Grassroots — and, your gift will expand our Green Leadership Academy, grow girls’ pathways, and empower the next generation of changemakers.
“Let’s rise to the top – together,” says the academy, who impact includes tapping talent from local communities, setting them up in Ascent’s classrooms before earning global scholarship that include spots at universities of Duke and Northeastern as well as elite boarding schools across North America.
The academy caters for the South east Africa, starting at the grassroots, inspiring and nurturing talented girls and boys to be brave, to lead by example and to believe in their ability to transform themselves, their communities and the world.
“We are soccer and scholarship that puts people and the planet first,” says Ascent Soccer, which was founded under the name Chigoli Academy before it went on to be registered as a charity in the USA and Canada.
Mission and Vision
Ascent Soccer empowers talent and promise in Southeast Africa, as the greenest soccer club and academy on the continent. It is a social impact organisation that transforms the lives of young men and women in some of Southeast Africa’s poorest countries by providing opportunities for comprehensive education, critical life skills and character development — combined with world-class soccer skill development.
It works with over 85 boys and girls carefully selected from across Southeast Africa, whose graduates have gone on to win life-changing scholarships at elite global boarding schools — with other Ascent scholars representing the academy in youth national teams and at major European club tournaments.
“Ascent’s vision is to guide youth to realize and reach their potential, growing into exceptional young men and women who not only re-invest in their own communities, but provide opportunities for the success of future graduates.
“Many grassroots projects spread their resources across thousands of participants over short periods, with the goal to reach as many deserving young people as possible.
“Combined with that mission, we also aim to drive systemic, lasting change by invest deeply in talent, desire and promise — catalysing a small but mighty group of young leaders to leverage the opportunities and platform provided by Ascent Soccer, across Southeast Africa.”
It success also includes a state-of-the-art campus in Lilongwe that has a Digital Learning Centre, outfitted with new laptops, robotics and Lego STEAM education programming; a Library & Resource Centre; Education Centre and the Great Hall — a beautifully designed environmental sustainability structure made from bamboo and is home to the academy’s nutrition centre, dining hall and event space.
The school is dedicated to maths, sciences, English & languages, the arts and so much more while the Appleyard Family is the outdoor education space for green and permaculture education — and there are three football pitch spaces of two full XI-aside grass pitches and a 5-aside pitch.
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