ShoeShare Malawi is a charitable initiative which supports talented athletes in Malawi by sending good quality used sports shoes from the UK. Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world, where most people live off less than £2 a day.

Working through the Zambia and Malawi Community Partnership we support sports development in the north of the country by shipping second-hand trainers to young athletes. ​

It's very hard to find good quality sports equipment in Malawi and that which is available is unaffordable for most (a new pair of trainers costs the equivalent of three months' salary). As a result, most players wear flip flops, old sandals or even play in bare feet. Owning a good pair of trainers is, quite literally, a game-changer and provides motivation for teams as well as helping improve performance and prevent injury.

We collect shoes from across the UK through sports clubs, races and fixtures, festivals and collection points in gyms, sports shops and schools. Volunteers then take them to our shipping partner in Dundee, where they are transported by ship and road to Tafika Sports Academy in Malawi.

Tafika is a community initiative focused on youth development, sustainability and behaviour change. The sports academy has over 200 teams and works with over 500 local villages and schools to select talented young athletes of high-school age to coach to regional and national level. Through sport, children are also taught health education, resilience and social enterprise (for example, by planting crops in return for receiving kit and coaching).