ORGANIZATIONAL AND COUNTRY INFORMATION

Click here for Newsletter #9 (pdf file). This March 2008 Newsletter provides the most uptodate information for the PLAY SOCCER Cameroon, Ghana, Malawi, Senegal, South Africa and Zambia country offices and for the PLAY SOCCER Network at large.

The current program focus is on Africa and Asia. Central and South America will be added in the near future. There are no programs in the USA. PLAY SOCCER targets the most disadvantaged communities and vulnerable children that have the least resources and sport for development programs.

PLAY SOCCER is a not-for-profit corporation with a volunteer board of Directors that has 501 C 3 status under the USA internal revenue service as a tax-exempt charitable organization. Its records are open for public record and are regularly audited. Separate national country organizations, all of which are not-for-profit, are established under voluntary Boards of Directors in each country and these all affiliate under the USA umbrella organization. Each country monitors and reports on its own program and financial activities. These reports are sent to the USA which provides oversight, program development, and overall reporting on the entire PLAY SOCCER network of organizations.

PLAY SOCCER is committed to volunteerism as an operating principle, as a means of encouraging community service and ownership, and to keep its program costs low, affordable and most importantly, sustainable.

Brief country information by alphabetical listing is shown below. For any further information, please contact playsocnonprofit@aol.com, which is the USA umbrella organization under which all country organizations affiliate.

CAMEROON: Play Soccer Cameroon continues to pave its way forward through the dense equatorial tropical forest to the grass fields of the savannah regions and in the days ahead will lay its ground work below the foot of the "chariots of the gods" (Mount Cameroon) for the implementation of its program of activities. Play Soccer Cameroon joined the Play Soccer family and the civil society all over in commemorating special events like the Global Peace Games. During the end of the year, visits were made to health centers. The kids shared their snacks with their sick friends and sang Christmas carols wishing them quick recovery and a Happy New Year 2007.

With the opening of two new sites in Mbalmayo, the first in early September 2006 and the second in February 2007, Play Soccer Cameroon is a true reflection of the bilingual French/English nature of Cameroon. In Mbalmayo, Play Soccer enjoys a sound collaboration with SOS children's Village in whose premises a part of Play Soccer activities take place. The challenges faced by the PLAY SOCCER program are enormous. As a way forward to over come difficulties, Play Soccer Cameroon will strengthen its network with other stake holders while continuing to build the capacity of its own staff as a way forward its vision of making the world a better place for children.

GHANA: PLAY SOCCER GHANA finished 2006 after a major, long planned expansion of new sites in the Ashanti region, and a new site in Cape Coast Central Region as well. They now have 12 sites and 1400 registered children and will not plan further expansion during the year until these new sites are well established. Program enhancement activities included clean up days within the community, reading sessions through the mobile library, the Global Peace Games in a collaboration with SOS Children's Villages, and the community credit union activities in Tema with the Credit Union Association of Africa.A major event in Ghana was the youth team trip to Nairobi, Kenya in December. The team had been selected to participate in the streetfootballworld festival at the World Cup, but were denied visas to travel to Germany at the last minute. To compensate for this disappointment, streetfootballworld and FIFA arranged for them to travel to participate in the Mathare Youth Sport Association 25th anniversary celebration. This was a highlight for the entire PLAY SOCCER organization. Newmont Mining provided an important contribution for the trip.

Federico Addiechi, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility also visited Ghana in February and discussed Football for Hope at a number of sites, such as Bunsu, where he was greeted by the Chief and members of the community.

MALAWI: PLAY SOCCER MALAWI continues to focus its efforts on the communities of Ndirande and Bangwe near Blantyre---- with huge demand to open the program in adjacent communities. Malawi has the largest number of participants of any country-----and could reach 8000 by year- end if funds permit. The program has received numerous visitors including representatives from the Q Fund who made an important contribution of funds to open a borehole at one site where no water had been available, either for the hundreds of PLAY SOCCER program children or the adjacent community school. The borehole project accompanied by a program enhancement plan for water, sanitation and hygiene topics have been an important community activity. PLAY SOCCER hopes to replicate this enhancement with additional boreholes and a link to other water/sanitation programs, such as UNICEF.

SENEGAL: PLAY SOCCER Senegal has been operating in two sites near Dakar--- Pikine and Rufisque---and working in close collaboration with the Koranic Schools in both. In 2007, Senegal will undertake a major expansion----- plans are to open 2 additional new sites in Pikine, plus sites in Louga, Kaolack (which had been previously open in 2005 at the SOS Children's Village, but had become dormant), and Guediawaye. The number of children will grow to at 450, more than double the enrollment of 2006.

Through its collaboration with the Koranic Schools and by building new collaborations with other local organizations, PLAY SOCCER Senegal will also add a special effort in 2007 to include street children in the program, particularly those children known as "enfants-talibes" in Senegal who are seen begging on the streets in increasing numbers.

SOUTH AFRICA: Despite all the financials limitations and challenges, the 2006 year ended with two very nice and humble "End of the cycle" events in each of the Play Soccer South Africa sites. All the participants got a certificate of participation as well as the volunteers for their commitment and effort. In 2007, we are delighted to announce that Pitso Mosimane, the Senior National Team's (Bafana-Bafana) assistant coach and Supersport United's Head Coach has joined our Board of Directors.

PLAY SOCCER South Africa has received a large grant from Johnson and Johnson and is expanding its sites in the Gauteng Province. The program will have a significant HIV/AIDS program enhancement that will be run in collaboration with the NGO, Grassroot Soccer. To add the enhancement and focus, special camps, activities and other, peer education activities and special events are planned to educate the children and volunteers about HIV/AIDS prevention and education. George Tsoari has been hired by Grassroot Soccer as an HIV Coordinator but he is playing a dual role as a ProgramManager for PLAY SOCCER, particularly helping in the social mobilization process in the communities with his local language skills. Cameron Cox is continuing as Program Manager for Lawley and Finetown, and also has a key role in both the program expansion and training of volunteers' processes.

After a lot of meetings and a long social mobilization campaign, the new community site of Fine Town is up and running with more than a 120 children coming to the weekly sessions and a pool of 9 volunteers running the sessions in a field situated right in the heart of the community. Two Additional sites will be added in the Tembisa area very soon. These are in areas known as Ethafeni and Winnie Mandela, both heavily populated settlements within Tembisa which is one of the disadvantaged hubs of the Siyadlala Mass Participation Program run by the Ministry of Sport and Recreation throughout the provinces of South Africa. PLAY SOCCER collaborates with SRSA in Siyadlala. The PLAY SOCCER program in Limpopo is also part of Siyadlala. Meetings have been held with the Limpopo department of Sports, Arts and Culture regarding the Metz site and the possible expansion to other hubs in that Northern Province of this country.

ZAMBIA: PLAY SOCCER ZAMBIA has plans to open new sites in 2007 in the Copperbelt Region at Mpongwe and to expand the number of children by at least several hundred in the months ahead. The new Minister of Sport has shown strong interest to help expand the program and sites. Zambia is also moving ahead to develop a nutrition/food security program enhancement with the organization, Agribusiness for Sustainable Natural African Plant Products (ASNAPP). ASNAPP will assist PLAY SOCCER to organize the planting by the children and their families of the moringa tree, whose leaves can be used to produce nutritional supplements, and will join PLAY SOCCER to educate the families about their use, as well as to help them find markets and sell the product as an income generating activity. ASNAPP is funded by USAID, and works in a number of PLAY SOCCER countries, where similar activities are under exploration. FAO is also exploring the possibilities in Zambia with PLAY SOCCER to develop some adjunct gardening projects and to include PLAY SOCCER in some of their activities that teach agricultural skills to HIV/AIDS orphans and youth whose families cannot assist.