For 20 years, the Zimbabwe Newport Volunteering Association has been linking communities across two continents — from the streets of Newport, Wales to the neighbourhoods of Mufakose, Harare. What started in 2006 as a grassroots idea to use sport and culture to bring people together has grown into a charity that has fed families, trained coaches, celebrated culture, and given thousands of young people a place to belong.
ZNVA began with community football, arts events, and the belief that sport could break down barriers. Early Africa Day and Zimbabwe Cultural Day celebrations brought Newport together to share food, music and heritage.
When Covid-19 hit, ZNVA responded fast.
33 Family Fun Days · 14 Carnival Processions · 38 Coaches Trained · 1 European Commission Best Practice Case Study
2006. ZNVA began with community football and arts events, built on the belief that sport could break down barriers between communities in Newport. Our earliest Africa Day and Zimbabwe Cultural Day celebrations date from that first period, 2006 to 2010. 2026 marks our twentieth anniversary.
Over 2,000 young people engaged, more than 2,500 sports participants, over 500 families supported through crisis, 38 coaches trained, 33 Family Fun Days and 14 carnival processions. Our futsal project became a European Commission Best Practice case study, and our Covid-19 food parcel work was featured by the BBC.
Our Newport Multicultural Futsal Project was selected by JOININ, a European Commission sports project, as a Best Case Study of working with young migrants in Europe. It recognised the way the project uses regular, free, inclusive futsal to build belonging among people from diverse backgrounds across Newport.
Angeline Tshiyane was named Community Coach of the Year 2015 at the BBC Wales Sport Awards. Elphas Gunguwo received the Personal Journey Award at the GAVO Newport Volunteer Achievement Awards. Robert Muza collected a series of community awards including StreetGames’ UK-wide Best Doorstep Sports Club. The charity also holds the Charity Excellence Framework Quality Mark.
Quickly. We opened an emergency food bank in Newport that supported more than 500 families, with culturally appropriate African food parcels delivered to the doorstep — work the BBC featured. In Mufakose we delivered Christmas hampers to isolated older people, a programme that has continued every year since.
Weekly futsal and multi-sports sessions, a seasonal Warm Bank, 30 to 50 African food parcels every month, arts, nature and mental health programmes, and four annual flagship events — Africa Day, Zimbabwe Cultural Day, Black History Month and the Refugee Week Football Tournament.
