Zambia Women’s national team skipper Barbra Banda on Tuesday, February, 2nd launched her Foundation becoming the first female football player to launch a Foundation in Zambia.
The Copper Queens star forward who plies her trade in China for Shanghai Shengli launched her Foundation, named after her, The Barbra Banda Foundation at a colorful event held at the Bauleni United Sports Academy center in Bauleni.
In her Speech, Banda stressed that the formation of the Foundation was aimed at promoting empowerment for Women and girls.
“Like many, I did not come from a place of abundance and hence I understand what it means to need help and no one willing to help you. I have also experienced how much easier life gets when you have people ready to help you on your path to success,” Banda said.
“With the formation of this foundation, we aim to support programs that promote empowerment for women and girls. Economic inequality, Gender-based Violence, lack of access to equal opportunities, teenage pregnancies, and early marriages are some of the major issues that women and girls are facing today and we want to help alleviate such vices using the power of sport .”
Kaluba Kangwa who is Bauleni United Sports Academy co-founder, A Zambia U-17 Women’s national head coach, and Barbra Banda’s former coach pledged the Organization’s continued support to the Foundation.
Photo Credit: Jean Mandela
“We as Bauleni Sports Academy are so humbled, The program we launching today is a continuous process so that we can continue empowering the child and to continue empowering young people with positive information on how they are going develop in leadership. Barbra Banda has shown great progress in her leadership development path,” he said.
“We as an Academy we are very much humbled that we have raised someone that has gone this far and she launches her Foundation we as Bauleni Sports Academy we are going to be there supporting her.”
Barbra Banda will act as President /Executive Director for the Foundation with BUSA co-founders Kaluba Kangwa and Fred Kangwa acting in the capacity of consultants while ZamFoot Crew Editor in Chief, Aaron Mubanga Jnr takes up the role of Interim Chief Executive officer/Assistant Executive Director.
At the same event, A Women’s annual Challenge Cup sponsored by the Barbra Banda Foundation in collaboration with Bauleni United Sports Academy (BUSA) was officially launched. The inaugural tournament has attracted eight teams, five of whom will be taking part in the soon to start Women’s National League.
Lusaka Dynamos, Green Buffaloes, and Bauleni United Sports Academy (BUSA) have been drawn in Group B along with YASA Queens in what is the group of Death. Impressive Luyando Foundation headlines group A and will battle it out with Nkwazi Queens, Pataaki, and All-Stars for a place in the semifinals.
The top four teams will walk away with monetary awards.
It’s Barbara not Barbra!