What began as a social media post from a 13-year-old Chelsea academy player offering spare kit to those less fortunate has evolved into a movement a decade later. Now an established WSL2 midfielder with Bristol City, Malaika Meena is sorting through over 1,000 items collected from players, fans, and coaches in the past month alone. Her family tradition of donating football boots and kit to schoolchildren in Tanzania has blossomed beyond anything she could have imagined.
A Mission of Equal Opportunity
"For me it's all about resource allocation," the 23-year-old says. "It's not about trying to 'save Tanzania' or anything like that, but just about trying to give an equal opportunity to everybody. Football's a sport that's given me so much and given me so many experiences and I want everyone to be able to experience that – the joy of playing football. It should be a sport that everybody can enjoy, no matter where you're from, your income or background, whether you're a boy, girl, whatever religion."
Born in England and raised just west of London, Meena's parents were born in Tanzania. When she visits family there, she usually stays with her grandmother in Dar es Salaam, though her mother's side comes from a rural area near Kilimanjaro. The family has always tried to donate football boots, but Meena's successful career has dramatically raised the profile of the operation, to the extent that she is now trying to register a charity.
From Instagram to Thousands of Items
"I just put a post out 10 years ago, on my Instagram, asking: 'If anyone's got any kit, we're going to take some to Tanzania,' and I got so many more messages than I thought I would!" the England youth international recalls. "At that time we went with at least 100 items and we gave them to a lot of the kids at one of the schools."
Now, with a platform that connects her to many players across teams like Bristol City, Newcastle, and Manchester City, Meena has collected over a thousand items in the last month alone. "So many people are going to benefit from this," she says.
Bridging the Gap
Tanzania, though beloved by tourists for safaris, Zanzibar, and Kilimanjaro, was ranked the 29th-poorest country in the world by Global Finance Magazine. The women's national team sits 121st in FIFA's rankings, the men 113th, but football is beloved among schoolchildren. "Tanzania is my favourite country in the world, so I'm very biased," Meena admits. "Everyone's so loving, everyone's so helpful."
Previously, Meena and her family would fill suitcases with kit when visiting. Now, with so many items, they have started shipping boxes to Tanzania. "We've already sent four boxes over this year of kit. Now, since I've already got so much more than I expected, I'm going to think of ways to do fundraisers to send these stuff over, not just when I go, so people can benefit all year round."
Future Plans
Meena dreams of expanding to provide school equipment like desks, chairs, and educational resources. "I've just been putting stuff on my personal Instagram but I'm definitely going to expand it and create its own Instagram page," she says.
Meena's Football Journey
Meena started playing for local boys' team Burnham Juniors, initially shy and worried about being passed to, but she went on to captain the team at age seven. She played for Chelsea's academy from eight to 16, then Arsenal's youth team, before moving to the US to play in the college system at Wake Forest University in North Carolina. "I really loved my time there," she says, despite two major injuries: an ACL tear and a broken fibula. "I learned a lot about hard work. Americans are very hardworking and they demand a lot out of you."
Called into the England Under-23 squad in March 2025, Meena joined Bristol City in January 2025 after returning to England. In February, she switched to Ipswich on loan, helping them finish nine points clear of relegation in ninth place. "Bristol is another really nice place; I love the team and the great coaching staff. I just felt like I needed to carry on developing as much as I could, and that's where Ipswich came in."
