Mozamb-eve

It's the night before I leave for Mozambique! Clothes are being washed, stuff all over the place, anywhere but in the holdall ready to go! As I consider what to take and what not to take, I will use this opportunity to give you an introduction to exactly where we are going and what we will be doing.....

Grupo Desportivo de Manica (GDM) is a social club in Manica, a town in the border regions of Mozambique. It provides sports activities and a home for young people, many of whom live below the poverty line. Some of the children are 1 or 2 parent orphans and as many as 40% come from dysfunctional homes. By living, eating, and playing together at GDM, community members become like one big family, with the older members often acting as mentors to the youngsters.

Aside from the sporting activities, which play a vital role in bringing the members together, GDM offers English and Computer literacy courses, helping to improve the future prospects for it's members. In fact, the Manica English School has become the premier site for learning English in the province.

My colleague Adam and I will be setting off tomorrow, armed with as many footballs, cones and anything Arsenal as we can fit in our 20kg luggage limit to join in with the project. We will provide sessions for the youngsters, introducing to them the skills of Nasri and Arshavin, the speed of Walcott and Clichy, and the precision of Fabregas himself. We will also provide ideas and advise to the older members so that they themselves can coach the younger players to 'Play The Arsenal Way.'

This is going to be an exciting adventure for all parties involved, and we hope we can make a difference...