THE founder of a Knutsford-based charity, which has built schools in Africa, will be returning to Malawi next month to promote and improve a football-skills programme that links children in his homeland to those in the UK.

Davy Chilakalaka, of Woodlands Drive in Knutsford, set up the charity Kasupe in 2007 with his wife Sally.

It aims to advance the education of children in Malawi and relieve the country’s poverty as well as provide shelter and accommodation and promote good health for children and young people.

Goals to Excel – which stands for giving opportunities and life skills to excel – is an organisation that helps children in Malawi, who might not be academic, to learn football skills – taught by children and young people from the UK.

Davy, who usually visits Malawi twice a year, will be travelling to the African country next month with Richard Thornburn and John Thornton and he will stay for three weeks.

Davy, aged 44, said: “Our aim is to develop young leaders into mature people and provide an alternative experience for children.

“We want to work with organisations in Knutsford and Cheshire and get them involved in teaching the young people in Malawi.”

The father-of-two used to coach football at Egerton Youth Club and will be returning to work as an assistant coach at Middlewich Town FC next season for the Under 18s squad.

Davy was born and raised in Malawi and received assistance from a church group, which led to a scholarship to study in England and his charity Kasupe supports Chigonere, which is Davy’s native village.

Davy believes that education is a key factor in relieving poverty and he wants the programme to be about more than just football, including coaching and refereeing, which help reinforce essential life skills.

He added: “We want to see how we can organise future trips to the country, how we approach this and let people here know what we can do to help out there.”

More information is available by visiting www.goalstoexcel.org or www.kasupe.org.uk