The Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) has handed over 12,000 balls to the Ministry of Education as part of the FIFA Football for Schools project. The project aims to promote football participation among children and young people by distributing the balls to schools across the country. FAZ general secretary Reuben Kamanga, who handed over the balls to Minister of Education Douglas Syakalima, stated that the ministry will lead the project in conjunction with the Ministry of Youth, Sport, and Art. "The Minister of Education was here to pay a courtesy call and check on the equipment that we have received from our partners FIFA, which is meant for schools," Kamanga said. "Being the driving force behind this project, we are pleased that the Minister visited us so that we can start distributing the balls." Syakalima expressed gratitude for the donation and emphasized that it would help promote football participation among children and young people. "Talent exists in schools, and we need to nurture it within our schools," Syakalima said. "Sport is now mandatory. Besides physical exercise and earning a living from sports, we can also enhance the cognitive mental state of our students. Therefore, we encourage our colleagues in schools to participate in this project." Syakalima also highlighted that he was pleased that the project would also promote girls' football, building on the achievements of various national teams, including the debut of the Zambia Women's National Team at the FIFA Women's World Cup in 2023. "The best part is that even girls are playing football," Syakalima said. "There is no discrimination between male and female football; everyone is playing, and they are all doing a great job because talent is present. Introducing sports at a young age will foster a love for football among students." FAZ Technical Director Lyson Zulu explained that the distribution of the balls resulted from the launch of the School Football League under the FIFA Grassroots Project in 2021. "Through the FIFA Football for Schools project, we trained 60 teachers and 50 referees, and we presented this project to FIFA. Now, Zambia is one of the approved countries for the FIFA Football for Schools project, and we have received 12,000 balls," Zulu said. FIFA will also send experts to introduce an application (app) that will be accessible to all schools. The app will contain all the sessions that teachers will need to conduct with their students.