Abedi Pele, one of the great pioneers of Africa football, is travelling around Africa with the Afcon Trophy - taking soccer to the people. Standard Bank is sponsoring this tour - below is Abedi's account of his recent travels on the continent:

Here was the final day of Standard/Stanbic Bank’s Trophy Tour in Uganda, and it had all gone by at a non-stop frenetic pace.

Sunday should be a more leisurely stroll surely? Well, not quite.
Hitting the road at 11 am, trophy, motorcade and all, we embarked on a long drive south to the Equator. The rain threatened to spoil the party by coming down hard as we arrived at the monumental place where the world split into the two large chunks called the Northern and Southern Hemisphere.

Such is the beauty of African weather that the downpour soon fizzled out and immediately gave way to sunshine. So, there we were taking pictures at the centre of the earth, a geographical privilege Uganda only shares with five other African countries, and for proof that I had been here I picked up an Equator Certificate.

Then it was time for another long ride, this time to a place called Suubi Watoto Village which was to leave its mark on me. Here was a large chunk of remote land turned into the most amazing village for deprived children who had lost one or both parents to the scourges that have ravaged this continent, among them AIDS and civil war.

The Watoto Church had taken these kids off the streets and turned them into responsible citizens brought up as good Christians, equipped with formal education and practical skills and inspired to dream big about a future in which they saw themselves as leaders. Kids who wanted to become everything from civil engineers and surgeons, to great footballers and sports journalists all the way to presidents. Their ambitions and sad backgrounds reminded me of my own deprived childhood.

Having come from a family of 19 children raised in the poverty of remote Ghana before football took me to Accra and then on to Europe. I encouraged these children to hope and dream, while all the time commending their minders for the great work put into giving them a home and family.

The trophy was evidently an inspiration to these children, but if I had been humbled by this experience I was completely knocked out by the next one.
At the Watoto Habies home, I came face to face with horror turned into little miracles, as I was introduced to little babies abandoned by their mothers, picked up by police and handed over to a group of men and women who would save their lives. Step by step, day by day, bring them from their malnourished, diseased, near-dead state to one of happy, healthy little tots.

I was so touched that I made the decision there and then that I would introduce the same concept in Ghana, using my vast contacts, resources and all else to help save children and give them a future.

With the images of those children still imprinted on my mind, I returned to the hotel to rest before my final stop; a live television show called Sporton on WBS TV, hosted by none other than my colleague, Local Ambassador Mark Ssali.

On the ‘biggest sports show in the land’, and with the Orange African Cup of Nations Trophy in clear view, the callers all wanted to know what it would take for Uganda to get back to the top and emulate Ghana.
I assured them that they had the talent and the history to do that, and had to develop the winning mentality again after everything they have been through.

Exporting one or two of their best youngsters to a top league in Europe, encouraging them to excel and open doors for the others would be a good start…

Where Ghana, Zambia and Namibia had done a great job in taking the trophy away from the city and to the countryside where the less privileged had jumped at the opportunity, Uganda had provided its own unique experiences.

I can’t wait to return to my second home!

For more information on the Ugandan tour see:
http://www.blog.standardbank.com/sponsorship/uganda-trophy-tour-day-1
http://www.blog.standardbank.com/sponsorship/uganda-trophy-tour-day-2