Empower Youth, Boys, and Girls in Haiti Contribution to MDG 3: Empowering Youth, Boys and Girls
What is the problem and how can Sports For Development advocates help youth, boys and girls in Haiti’s small villages?
Amidst the destroyed buildings, lost lives, and heartache caused by the devastating 2010 earthquake many young Haitians have taken comfort and found hope in their love of soccer. Haiti lost at least 30 soccer coaches, players, and administrators in the quake – many in the collapse of the three story concrete building that housed the Haitian National Soccer Federation.
Soccer in Haiti has gone through several highs and lows, but the love of the game never faded in Haitian’s hearts and souls. In 2012, the Haitian National Soccer Federation, previously used as a refugee camp, is once again being used as a training facility, and soccer competition is slowly coming back in Haiti.
Team HavServe understands that soccer is by far the most popular sport in Haiti. Thousand of talented young soccer players in Haiti, who are aspiring to follow in the footsteps of their idols, dream of joining major clubs and getting out of poverty. Team HavServe noted that youth soccer in Haiti suffers from a lack of funds, unsafe fields, poor quality pitches, and under-qualified coaches. Team HavServe offers international volunteers and sports for development supporters the opportunity to coach soccer in Haiti’s small villages. This is done in an effort to increase funding, improve facilities, build safe soccer fields, and educate both local coaches and players (boys and girls). As the popularity of soccer in the United States continues to grow, Team HavServe provides unique opportunities for coaches, players, and soccer lovers all over the world to share their love of soccer with Haitians in need of hope. Coaches can volunteer to lead youth soccer teams in Haiti, donate to the development of new soccer fields, or volunteer to train and teach children soccer.
The importance of soccer in the Haitian society, and the game’s status as the country’s “favorite national pastime” make soccer and physical education programs effective tools for combating Haiti’s development challenges such as extreme poverty, conflict, leadership coaching, empower girls, and for promoting the 8 MillenniumDevelopmentGoals for Haiti.
Team HavServe strongly believes that international volunteers together with local Haitians can make a difference by bringing the concept of human rights, Article 24, to life through soccer in the reconstruction of Haiti: Right to Play!
Click on the links below to explore various opportunities to support the Haiti Sports for Development (HS4D)™: HavServe’s Youth Soccer Program (HYSP):
HavServe’s Youth SoccerProgram (HYSP)
Meet the Haiti an Children in the HS4D Program
Meet a HavServe Volunteer: Guga Alencar
Start Fund raising for Haiti Soccer for Development (HS4D): The Dream Field
