They Give Out Free Soccer Balls, Spread Joy in Africa
I love this idea. A man named Mike Mitchell has come up with a perfect way to make thousands of people’s lives better. He’s bringing 2000 soccer balls to give out to kids in Togo. Here’s how he explained it in a story in the SF Bay Area San Mateo Times:
“And why not? You have a soccer ball underneath your arm, and they come around you like a magnet of good energy, not terror, fear or violence. Mitchell, who is now 51 and lives outside San Paulo Brazil, understands that soccer is the universal language.”
He found a common ground among the people who live in the impoverished village of the Republic of Niger in Western Africa. In February, Mitchell and his team went back to deliver 2,016 soccer balls in about 20 villages while implementing Project Play Niger.
“The kids were in disbelief when we showed up out of nowhere and gave them a ball, said Dave Stahl, of Project Play. Ït gave them hope, said the 53-year old Stahl. They got the idea from a meeting with then Nigerian president Seyni Koutche. It took the group years to raise the $35,000, much collected from Project Play benefits around San Mateo County.
Getting the balls into the country was hard, because trucks don’t go where they wanted to distribute them. Next they plan a similar campaign to the nation of Togo, bordering Ghana.
December 28, 2010 @ 8:59 am
USING SPORTS AS A MEANS OF BRINGING GODS KINGDOM TO EARTH.
Good day Sir/Madam,
My names are Coach/Player Epah Gyvira.I am a Cameroonian by nationality and I am 39 years. I am football fanatic and this can be seen from my experience in the game of football. In Cameroon, i played for a good number of clubs and national tournaments. My football career in Cameroon has a lot of impact on my life.
Due to my talent, I decided to travel to South Africa where I could show case my talent in the game of football. I played for many clubs in South Africa most remarkable is the ARCADIA SHEPARDS F.C. We emerged Champions of the VODACOM League in 2003-2004. I also did coaching management because of the love that I had for soccer. My career in South Africa has a remarkable legacy in my life. While in South Africa, i traveled to Japan for a test match but unfortunately, I was questioned for failure to renew my passport. Consequently, I was sent to Cameroon. The story is really a sad one. All what I had worked for in South Africa perished.
Back in Cameroon, i did not give up my passion for soccer. I joined a few soccer clubs but it was always difficult to make it to the top. My soccer career in the pitch diminished but i still have the passion for soccer.
Because of my Charisma and Talent, i was appointed coach of the Little Foot F.C ,Tiko D2. My coaching career with this club was poor because it was very difficult to transform the barbaric and uncultured talent of my boys to the professional realm of soccer.
While coach for the Little Foot F.C, I always had in mind the intention of empowering football in my community. Today, I have come up with a soccer school called the ARCADIA SOCCER ACADEMY. I have nursed this dream for three years before putting it to motion. Arcadia United F.C is one of the clubs which i played for while i was in South Africa.
The Academy is just 9 months and I have a total of 49 boys ages ranging from 14-20. I am struggling to preserve these boys for international soccer. The reason why I am mailing you today is to beg on behalf of this young academy, my community which has no football club right now, and Cameroon in general to help us with Material Aid.
We need Balls most especially.
We shall be very pleased if our request is granted.
Head Coach.
Coach Epah Gyvira.
contact:_00237_74634352_ ___
Assistant
Coach Raymond.
contact:_00327_77027078_
January 22, 2011 @ 12:20 pm
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