Thread by @FCBarcelona

My name is Japhet Sakala, I am 12 years old and I live in a village in Zambia.

I love football and play at the Barça Academy in Lusaka. But playing football in Africa is not always easy...

👇 THREAD 👇

The road from my home to the Barça facilities in Lusaka is two hours on foot. I wasn't always able to do it and I couldn't go for two weeks.

When I returned, my coach, Jordi Rovira, asked me what had happened to me, and I explained that my mother had forbidden me to walk home alone at night.

Then, Jordi decided to visit my mother. I live in a camp in Lusaka, which is where he found out that my father had died from malaria, and that we were a family of six brothers, and that we could not afford to pay for transportation.

Given the situation, my coach decided to pay the six euros per week that transport costs, even though he often takes me home with his car. But this was not the only problem...

Training began at five in the afternoon, which is when school was over, but the school would not let me out early, in spite of my mother's requests. With Jordi, we went to talk to the director, who finally gave in and the problem was solved.

Jordi is much more than my coach.

Thanks to him, my family and I can continue living in our house. My mother could not pay the rent, which was 50 euros per month, and so he took over the rent payments of the apartment. He also helps us with clothes and food.

This week, I had an incredible experience. I left Zambia for the first time, I took my first plane, I saw the sea, and I also played at the Barça facilities.

💙❤️ A dream come true.

#BarcaAcademyWorldCup