T HE goalie dives, misses the ball, footballers leap in celebration and spectators cheer.

So far, so normal. But this is amateur football in Kenya, where the players sprint across scrub land in bare feet and searing heat.

Their only kit is proper football shirts, and it is vaguely surreal for me to see J.D.Motors of Blaydon emblazoned across their chests.

Simbiri Nan Bell Football Club in West Kenya have benefited from donations of football strip discarded by amateur clubs in the North-East of England.

Their chances of buying new football outfits are nil, because Simbiri is one of the poorest parts of Kenya, with one of the highest rates of HIV and child mortality.

Most of the population live in mud huts with earth floors, no running water or electricity.

I inadvertently discovered how keen they are to play football on a previous visit to Simbiri, helping to set up a charity with Corbridge friends Dr Ann Egan and Chris Nevis.

Our charity is called Luo Care, after the local tribe. We raise money in Britain, then pay the premium of vital health insurance for the poorest widows and their children in Simbiri.

It costs just £45 a year, less than one pound a week, to ensure one widow and her children can receive life-saving health care whenever they need it. When we established Luo Care nearly two years ago, little did we realise that we would also be helping the local sports fans.

Widows, children and footballers are an unlikely combination.

Football is as popular in Simbiri as it is here.

Young men are united in their enjoyment of a kickabout – usually with a ball made of strips of plastic bags wrapped round and round.

But they have no shorts or tops, no boots, no balls, and no money to travel or pay for food at away matches.

When I came back home, I asked a Corbridge friend, Mike Robinson, who is involved with the local football leagues, if he could help.

Thanks to his efforts, we were soon overwhelmed by offers of last season’s strip from several clubs. The first delivery of kit came from Brandon United.

We returned to Simbiri in September with an enormous suitcase filled with kit for all age groups, proper footballs and pumps. Simbiri Nan Bell FC were ecstatic.

A new youth team, Kabok FC, have just been set up, and they take their football so seriously that they even have a 17 year old club chaplain.

They were flabbergasted to receive a mixed collection of shirts and a real ball.

At their “photocall”, logos on their shirts included Ryton FC, Freshfield Food and Stan Hunter Haulage.

In return, I asked the teams to write thank you letters for the donors.

The captain of Kabok FC is 10 year old Shadrack Opiyo Ochieng, who is a triplet.

He and his brothers were so grateful, they resolved to send a proper thank you card, which is hard to find and impossible to pay for when you are a penniless child.

How could they raise the money? They collected a precious hen from their home, took it to market, sold it and bought the card.

It is now sitting in pride of place on Mike Robinson’s mantlepiece.

Amazingly, I learned that ground down women, who struggle to find food and clothes for the family, love to play netball.

In the early evening, many meet on the netball court, which is unmarked on the scrub land and has two slightly warped wooden netball posts.

They hitch up their long skirts, secure the scarves around their heads, and spring into action. It’s a chance to share an activity and forget the oppressive grind of day to day living.

Having already helped the men out, we are now looking for ways to find netball bibs and kit for the women.

Several of the netball team are widows who are Luo Care beneficiaries. These are the very poorest people in society.

Ninety eight women and more than 350 children have been registered, and receive medical attention whenever they need it.

Without the health insurance paid by Luo Care, these women cannot pay for medical care and risk becoming gravely ill, and even dying.

The insurance card they each receive is a lifeline which saves their children from becoming orphans.

The most common illnesses are malaria and typhoid, both of which are easily treated if caught in time, but could become life-threatening without medicine.

Another 300 widows need help in the Simbiri area.

We are happy to deliver a short presentation to any organisations or groups who would like to know more about the charity’s work.

I can be contacted on 07889 291659 or by email at sheilaghmatheson@gmail.com