African villages are set to go head-to-head on the football pitch – wearing kit from Dumfries football clubs.
Scientists from the University of Glasgow are heading to Malawi to carry out research into sleeping sickness.
And, in a bid to raise awareness, a series of football games will be held with teams wearing strips that have been donated from across Scotland – particularly in Dumfries.
Walt Adamson, originally from Dalbeattie, is one of the scientists who is heading out.
The Queen of the South fan said:: “We’ve been targeting crowds who wouldn’t normally engage with science and we thought football matches would be a good way to get people together.
“The people in Malawi have set up village against village matches in infected areas. We’re also going to be at a top league match as the university sponsors Rumphi United.
“The areas where it happens are really poor. There’s not much money going around and the sports clubs have no resources so, as an incentive to get matches set up, we were told what people could really do with is football kits. I put feelers out around Scotland and have four different sources that have given me different kits.
“One of the ones I got the most from is Ross Corbett from Dumfries. I’ve ended up with seven or eight strips mainly from pub teams around Dumfries that he’s managed to round up.
“In rural Malawi this weekend and next weekend there’s going to be village against village matches wearing strips of Dumfries pub teams with the likes of the Hole in the Wa pub as shirt sponsor.”
Other donated kits include, Palmerston Colts, Dumfries Athletic, Ruthwell Rovers and Dynamo Star, with the Scottish Football Supporters’ Association’s Paul Goodwin also helping the campaign.
Ross said: “ I help run one of the Sunday amateur teams and we had kit sitting so we got him some strips and a couple of other teams helped. This time we’ve managed to put together five or six sets of strips.”
Walt will spend two weeks in Malawi – the first of a number of trips planned over the next few years.
He said: “Sleeping sickness is a disease transmitted by a fly. There are a couple of places in Malawi that are hotspots for the disease.
“It’s totally treatable if people are tested and can get medication but there’s quite a lot of mistrust around scientists. The traditional healers tell the population they shouldn’t be taking this medication. We’re trying to combat that and tell people about the research we’re doing.
Anyone with football kit they can donate for future tips should email walt.adamson@glasgow.ac.uk
