Craig Bellamy's African Dream.

Liverpool star, Craig Bellamy, speaks for the first time about his pioneering charity work in West Africa.

The Craig Bellamy Foundation is a charity that offers underprivileged children in Sierra Leone the chance to reach their true potential in life, through sport and education, enabling them to build a better life for themselves, their families and their communities.

The Foundation achieves this by running a non-profit-making residential football academy and international school, as well as operating a nationwide community development youth league, supported by UNICEF.

The hour long documentary follows the premiership footballer as he visits Sierra Leone to see how students in his academy are faring in a country recovering from the ravages of civil war.

Craig Bellamy: An African Dream, airs on ITV4, 9pm, Tuesday 31st January 2012.

The documentary shows Craig traveling from his home in the Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales, to West Africa, and includes footage of him meeting the teams playing in his League, as well as an amputee football team, victims of vicious machete attacks during the 11-year war.

Liverpool striker, Bellamy says: "The poverty is another level. It made me want to do something about it. To qualify to play in the league the children need to go to school - it's not about football, it's about education."

Over the past four years, the premiership footballer has played a vital role in developing youth football in Sierra Leone injecting over £1 million of his personal funds into the project with at least a further £500,000 pledged.

The League provides an effective nationwide youth football structure to nearly 2,000 children - boys and girls - whilst also addressing key social issues. Its unique model ensures that children playing in the League regularly attend school, learn and adhere to principles of fair-play, and deliver health messages and social development projects that benefit other children and communities.

While the media is filled with stories of footballer vulgarity and extravagance, we rarely hear about the other side to premiership footballers.

Documentary director Steffan Morgan said: "We see a different side to an often misunderstood, controversial personality, and we meet the wonderfully warm people of a country that's beginning to get back on its feet".

For more information about the Craig Bellamy Foundation, and to find out how you can help support its work in Sierra Leone, please visit www.club39.org or http://www.craigbellamyfoundation.org/ Media enquiries to Shakira Obaid at freshbaked PR on 02920 668090 or s.obaid@freshbaked.co.uk

Photo caption: Liverpool Striker, Craig Bellamy, giving his students football advice