For the last month, SOS youth in Kenya have worked with two local organizations, Masaai Treads and Alive and Kicking, to learn about and gain hands-on experience in leatherworks using recycled leather donated by Southwest Airlines. Through paid apprenticeships, youth have learned the entire leather upcycling process, from stripping color from a piece of leather and staining it with a new one, to cutting leather and transforming it into soccer balls, shoes, bags, and other accessories.
In addition to providing vocational training for SOS youth, the program will have a broader impact on the surrounding community. The shoes will be distributed throughout the community as part of an anti-jigger campaign, and the soccer balls will be used as part of an education program that uses sports to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS and malaria.
Check out pictures of SOS youth participating in the LUV seat program below!
Cut pieces of leather ready to be sewn into soccer balls.
Mary, a youth from the SOS Village, concentrates as she sews pieces of leather into a soccer ball.
Steve, a youth at the SOS Village, creates a soccer ball out of the leather he has prepared.
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Sample soccer balls made by youth.
This program was generously funded by Southwest Airlines. To read more about the partnership, click here.