Case studies

Play 4 Hope Tour

In August 2003, AfCiC organised a UK tour of Sierra Leone's National Single Leg Amputee Soccer Club (SLASC). The members of this club were young men who had suffered an amputation by rebel troops during the ten-year civil war.

As a part of this tour, the team played a number of matches against various UK teams, including their first-ever international match, against the England Amputee Team. Learning from each match, and playing with passion and determination, the team lost 4-1 to England in an exciting, end-to-end encounter that entertained the large crowd.

Although important, footballing results represented only one aspect of the tour. The tour successfully promoted disability sports in general and, in particular, the welfare of the players and their sense of worth. One team-member, Foday Dumbuya, expressed his feelings in these words: "I no longer feel like a victim of war, but an athlete for peace".

The team received a substantial amount of media coverage during their time in the UK, and through this AfCiC were able to raise awareness about the new peace in Sierra Leone and the work of AfCiC. The success of the tour proved to be a tremendous catalyst for our work with amputees in Sierra Leone, and allowed AfCiC to help transform their lives and long-term prospects. [read more]