( CNN ) -- In football-obsessed Kenya , like much of Africa , the beautiful game is more than just a sport -- it 's an inescapable way of life for millions of young people , a sacred carnival that 's staged passionately everywhere from grandiose stadiums to gravel fields and dusty patches of land . But for the laborers inside this brightly lit workshop on the outskirts of Nairobi , football is also serious business . Surrounded by Arsenal and Liverpool team posters on either side of the walls , the blue-shirted workers meticulously cut and stitch pieces of leather . Eyes straight down , they put the final touches on the white and yellow footballs they 're crafting on their wooden work stations . This is the Kenya-based hub of Alive & Kicking , the only formal manufacturer of sports balls in Africa . The social enterprise , which has two more plants in Zambia and Ghana , uses the widespread popularity of football in the continent to help create jobs and offer disadvantaged children access to sport equipment . `` In Africa , the passion for football is absolutely immense , '' says Sughra Hussain , chief executive of Alive & Kicking , which was launched in 2004 by late Briton Jim Coogan . `` But according to our calculations , a third of children have actually never played with a real football before , '' she adds , explaining the principles on which the group was founded . `` At the same time , there are very high levels of unemployment , with a high proportion of the population living below the poverty rate . '' Durable balls . All across Africa , millions of football-loving children are unable to afford quality balls to play with . Instead , they often rely on whatever 's at hand to create their own makeshift versions , using anything from strings and plastic bags to strips of cloth and inflated condoms . These improvised balls , however , often wo n't last long . Lopsided and fragile , they regularly fall victim to the thorn bushes dotting the weedy fields and pebbly yards the game is usually played on . Read this : Cameroon 's outspoken football star . To deal with this , Alive & Kicking uses locally sourced leather to produce durable balls that are suited to local conditions . `` Our balls are made from genuine leather , so they last longer on the rough terrains of the compounds and slums in which they are often used , '' says Hussain . Health awareness . Over the last nine years , Alive & Kicking has produced more than 500,000 balls , including volleyballs and netballs . About half of them are sold in the major supermarkets of the countries the group works in , at a cost of around $ 18 , while the rest are either bought by local NGOs or corporate organizations . But Alive & Kicking , which employs 130 people in three countries , is not only interested in the retail side of the business . More than just a company , the group has donated a fifth of the balls it 's produced -- - more than 100,000 -- to schools and children 's projects in rural areas as part of its efforts to raise health awareness . Read this : Flying doctor saving lives . Each donated ball is printed with simple directives such as `` Play Safe '' and `` Sleep Under A Net '' to convey health messages about the dangers of HIV/AIDS and malaria . Famous backers . For its efforts , the group has over the years attracted the interest of several high-profile athletes and officials , including English Premier League football stars and world dignitaries like the Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki Moon . Even Barack Obama was presented with one of the group 's balls during a visit to Kenya in 2006 . England international footballer Micah Richards , who 's been named an ambassador for Alive & Kicking , says : `` It 's a fantastic way to create jobs for those that need them in Kenya , Zambia and Ghana , and provide equipment for people that ca n't afford to buy it . ''
Alive & Kicking is a social enterprise that manufactures balls in Africa . It aims to create jobs for adults , provide children with balls and raise health awareness . Launched in under 30 , it has so far produced more than half a million balls . It employs one third people -- 130 of its workforce is people 2004 .