World Cup 2010 Gifts to Take As Gifts For South African Kids

If you are wondering what to take with you to the World Cup in South Africa this summer? A wise person once gave this travel tip:

"Pack less clothes and take more money."

However, in the case of going to the FIFA Football Match, you will need to take some pretty special cargo with you as well as your cash, cards & clothes.

South Africa is one of the most complex societies on earth and so this World Cup will be a truly remarkable event, during which you will be changed inside and out. The giving of gifts, both casually and ceremoniously, is a very important part of the African culture that is often mistakenly interpreted as bribery, begging or charity. Travelers to Africa will be respected and included in the culture even more if they understand the true nature and importance of offering small gifts to the people they meet along their way. The kids that you meet will be ecstatic when you offer them a souvenir of the World Cup 2010, which is a historical event for Africans, not just a football match.

Once you arrive in Africa, you will have the opportunity to engage with Africans and participate in all kinds of interesting events. You will get more out of your experience if you are carrying a suitcase full of small gifts to give along the way. You will need to empty that suitcase so that the you'll have a place to carry back the gifts that the Africans will give to you. The giving of gifts is an exchange of thoughts, culture, affection and ideas about how strangers relate to each other. Africa is not the only culture with gifting, as a matter of fact, I can't think of a place where gifts are not a part of social living. However, instead of just at birthdays & holidays, gifts are threaded through every day, as part of the social fabric and daily conversations. In Sierra Leone, part of the three part daily greeting that starts with "Buah" actually means, "Did you get anything today!" This is a way of inquiring as to whether or not the person you are greeting has received their daily gifts yet, or whether they are still in need of anything.

My partner and I have spent plenty of time working and travelling in Africa and what really touches us the most every time is just how awesome the kids are. All of the kids that we have been fortunate enough to call our friends were so cool, so quietly kind and comically gifted; it is the memories we have of our engagement with those African kids that has stayed with us over our lifetime. Our one regret from our first trip is that we did not take enough gifts for the kids. The kids, though loved passionately, are often last in line for the riches in any given day; so different from how we place our children at the pinnacle of receiving in our culture. All goods go to the family head first and then they are metered out to the wives, extended family members and then, maybe, to the kids.

Whenever we return to Africa, we bring stuff that we know the kids will get a big kick out of, and this changes over time. Africa is hugely influenced by trends and waves of media attention. It is often difficult for the people to actually buy a lot of the things they are seeing in magazines, on TV and online, mostly because their financial systems are not universally synced up with the whole retail extravaganza of the internet. It is pretty thrilling for a kid or teen to actually become the owner of some fine thing they saw on TV but never dreamed of having.

The chance to show your respect to the kids you will meet, in the form of a cool souvenir, will prove to be one of the highlights of your trip, so don't miss out. Here is the list of the top ten World Cup 2010 souvenir gifts for African kids for you to carry with you when you travel to South Africa:

#1 World Cup trophy replica - of course you will not be able to carry a whole bunch of the life size trophies, but they also come in small 1:16 scale, medium 1:2 scale and mini key chain sizes. Each size has it's own appeal. The bigger one has the power of size, but the mini pendant and key chain size FIFA trophies are the most cool, because the kids can wear them as bling in a umber of creative ways.

#2 World Cup Watches - believe it or not these cool FIFA & South African graphic design watches cost only around $6.00 - $10.00 US. A watch might seem a bit mundane to kids from America or Europe, but the kids in Africa just don't have access to a watch at all, let alone a special Collectors watch from the 2010 South Africa World Cup!

#3 Kids Size Football Jersey - all the same team jerseys for adults are available in kids sizes too. The World Cup Jersey is an awesome gift, especially if you can find one of the African team jerseys for South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria, Algeria and Cote d'Ivoire. The boys, in particular just go nuts for one of these. The kids jerseys are selling for around $24.00 US so they are little more costly to buy, but still lightweight and easy to pack in your souvenir gift bag.

#4 South Africa Flag Souvenirs The South African flag is all over everything right now and the kids love the cool phone covers, pendants, necklaces and mini torch key rings, all made with the flag design. There are also flags on mini boxing gloves, jewelery, watches, T-shirts, hoodies, dog tags, pendants, charms, pins, belt buckles, stickers, car flags, wristbands, flashlights, key chains, embroidered patches & badges, buttons, hats and mini banners.

#5 World Cup T-shirts - There are some really cool t-shirts for this World Cup and many come in kids & even baby sizes. Trophy shirts, team badge shirts, Jabulani Official Match ball shirts, FIFA logo shirts and I heart Africa shirts are the most popular but any kid would love any t-shirt and they will be the envy of their possy wearing it.

#6 Jabulani Replica World Cup Africa Ball - The authentic official ball is pretty pricey at over $100.00 but there is the slightly smaller souvenir practice size #4 Jabualni ball that sells for $25.00. Getting a gift of one of the special Africa design soccer ball will a thrill for the whole neighborhood! A great tip is to deflate the balls for traveling and then have them inflated at any petrol station when you arrive. You won't ever forget the excitement of showing up at a group of kids with a ball, any ball, let alone a Jabulani replica ball.

#7 World Cup Africa Hat - nobody wears a hat quite as cool as an African kid, they have so much style and spunk. Football caps are popular with kids everywhere, whether they wear them backwards or forwards or sideways and the kids you will meet in Africa are no different. You can be sure that if there is another way to wear a hat, it will be African kids that discover it. Hats are cheap and fold up easily in your luggage. The 2010 hats come in yellow, black, orange, red & white with various team & FIFA & Africa logos. The kids there will decorate their hats further with stickers, patches & pins as well.

#8 Patches, Key chains & Pins - These small inexpensive souvenirs are very much a treasure in SA with the kids. They love any kind of bling for their clothes and World Cup bling is king. The patches come in team crests, FIFA logos, Football Africa logos, Zakumi Mascot and SA flag designs. Key chains and mini torch pendants are really popular and they come in all kinds of different styles; replica trophy miniatures, soccer balls, team badges, nation flags, FIFA logo, Zakumi mascot and African sandals. Every day, more key chain styles arrive.

#9 2010 Team Wristbands - you can buy 50 piece lots of all the different team wristbands for $60.00 US, that's just over a dollar each and the kids think these are really awesome. Some are wearing several on one arm and the more the merrier apparently because they are delighted to add a different one from afar to their collection.

#10 South Africa Football Earrings - these are mini soccer balls made of SA colors dangling on pierced ear dangles. There are lots of cool earrings from the official FIFA logo, SA flag medallions, black & white soccer balls, and team soccer balls with flags of all nations from every qualifying team. Even the boys are after these earrings, not necessarily to wear on their ears but there is more than one way to wear an r in Africa. It's like the hats that way!

That is just the top ten most coveted World Cup souvenirs that the kids on the street all over Africa want. There are lots of other great souvenirs gifts that these kids would love; stickers, Panini cards & posters, flags of all nations, but particularly the 6 qualifying African nations, team photos, scarves, flag pennants and even the toy Zakumi for the little ones.

All these gift souvenirs are available to buy on-line before you go there, so it's not a lot of work or a lot of money; it's just a lot of fun for you and all the awesome children of Africa that you will meet if you're friendly enough and lucky enough to get the chance. You won't regret it, I guarantee it and you will just kick;yourself once you're there and you didn't bring stuff for those kids. It's not that they must have a gift to engage with you, it's just that it is worth the world to them, and to you, to offer that small delight. All though a small souvenir of World Cup Collectibles will not change anyone's poverty, it will still create a smile and a whoop of joy. And THAT can change the world.

Go to Africa to enjoy yourself in the most unforgettable place on earth; but while you're packing, please, do, take some small souvenir of the World Cup to give to the kids that you'll meet everywhere you go - that way everyone wins.

http://www.african-football-shop.com
African World Cup Football Shop Online - featuring World Cup Jerseys, Souvenirs & FIFA trophy replicas in all sizes. Small scale 1:16 trophy, medium scale 1:2 trophies and full size/weight replicas. Mini replica FIFA trophies on key chains, mini cords & pendants for blinging out your booty. You can buy your World Cup Football Souvenirs & replica trophies online from all over the world from the African Football Shop and they ship world wide. Great World Cup gifts to give to the African kids when you get to South Africa. FIFA team jerseys for kids, babies and adults, badge shirts and team football jackets are now in stock for your favorite soccer teams as well as hats, scarves, pins, patches badges, FIFA match tickets, African t-shirts, flags, banners and official FIFA 2010 Africa match balls. South Africa accommodations & lodging during the 2010 match are also listed here.

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