KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Soccer fans are used to the Kansas City Current's star forward, Temwa Chawinga, putting smiles on their faces.
Last season, there were many reasons to celebrate her talents.
Chawinga won the league's Most Valuable Player award and set the National Women's Soccer League's single-season record for goal contributions.
But most fans might not know that from almost 9,000 miles away, she’s going the extra mile to help families in her Malawi, her home country.
She's using her platform as a soccer star to impact people who are in a situation similar to the one she grew up in.
Soccer wasn’t always an option for Chawinga.
“My mom used to say soccer is not for girls,” Chawinga said.
Like many other Malawian girls, she had an exhausting routine because they didn’t have access to one essential resource — fresh water.
She walked miles to get the water and carry it back home.
She dribbled through life's obstacles to become an American soccer star.
“God helped me to be here,” Chawinga said.
Now, she's giving back.
As the FreshWater Project International ambassador, she helps provide access to water systems in Malawi.
“A lot of families cannot manage to bathe themselves,” Chawinga said.
She pointed out many girls are late for class because they are retrieving water for their families.
“In America, I could drink water right out of the tap," said Dianna Fetter, director of global stewardship for FreshWater Project International. "I can shower without having to close my mouth, right? That's not what is happening in Malawi.”
Fetter says the organization has been supporting families in the country for more than 20 years.
This year, their focus is on water systems and schools.
They want to build fully-piped freshwater systems, latrines, and handwashing stations for a district that serves 1,200 students.
“Women, especially young girls, have to spend hours a day going to get water that they can use for their family,” Fetter said.
Recently, FreshWater Project International partnered with local charity, Heart to Heart International.
Thousands of hygiene kits will be mailed from the nation's soccer capital to Malawi.
Kansas City kids and volunteers spent last Saturday packing hygiene items with Chawinga.
Those kits included included soap, toothbrushes and toothpaste, shampoo, and more. Goalkeeper Clare Gagne also joined the team work.
“Can you imagine having to go a week without being able to brush your teeth? Or trying to share a toothbrush? You couldn’t wash your hands,” said Kim Carroll, CEO for Heart to Heart International.
“They're struggling with a lot of things, but with water, it means that as we go through these challenges, little by little we’ll overcome them, because I have fresh water near them,” Chawinga said.
Chawinga is packing up the love she receives in KC and sharing it with her home country.
“They not only treat me here the way they do, but they also choose to treat Malawi the same way they treat me here. So I'm very happy,” Chawinga said.
She says this is not the final whistle — more help will be on the way.
