Students in Nigeria celebrated World Children’s Day by taking part in a football match using sports equipment donated by one of Sightsavers’ corporate partners.

Spectrum Markets donated footballs and goal nets for the games, which saw children from three local schools competing against each other. Teams included both boys and girls with and without disabilities to promote inclusion. Each student who took part received sportswear and was awarded a sports bag that included a t-shirt, running shoes and a medal.

One of the children who took part was 11-year-old Aisha: “I was happy playing football with the other girls. When the organisers gave me a beautiful bag, it made me feel like the headteacher.”

Another attendee, Yahaya, who is nine years old, said: “It felt overwhelming when the crowd cheered for me. I also felt like the king when the medal was given to me. I am grateful to Sightsavers for organising the event.”

Every November on World Children’s Day, Spectrum Markets supports activities for children in Nigeria who have accessed our child eye health project. The project provides vital eye care services and trains teachers to identify vision problems, enabling children to receive the treatment they need and continue their education.

Martina Hoffard, Head of Marketing, Spectrum Markets, said: “I’d like to thank everyone who put in so much effort to make this event possible. Seeing the very real benefit of the work that Sightsavers is doing really brings home how worthwhile and meaningful our partnership is.”

Spectrum Markets joined Sightsavers as a corporate partner in April 2021 and has been supporting our work in Kaduna, Sokoto and Zamfara states.

Images ©Sightsavers/Dogara Uren. The partnership between Sightsavers and Spectrum Markets ended in December 2024.