It's been a while since we shared any news here on our blog (but if you just can't get enough good news from GOALS, be sure you're following us on Facebook where we post updates daily), but that's just because we've been so busy doing some incredible things.
Just last month, for example, armed with compost and shovels (and dreams of lots of shade in the future!), GOALS kids planted 230 trees around the soccer field and around their village. The soil in Haiti is generally of poor quality, and saplings are mighty tasty to local goats, so our soccer teams have a big task ahead of them to make sure that the trees are regularly watered, take root and grow up strong! There's some more pictures here, if you're curious.
Earlier this summer, we hosted our very first mobile medical clinic in our brand new GOALS community center in the village of Destra, providing care to 178 patients in a safe and dignified space. Previously, we held clinics in outdoor spaces, lacking both privacy and hygiene, but we're always proud when communities come together and join resources to make things happen, lending chairs and tables to visiting doctors and nurses, and setting up tarps to create shade. Check out some of the inspiring photographs here. A shout-out to both the visiting medical volunteers and the local GOALS youth who volunteered to help out as well.
Like all of our kids, GOALS' newest little girls team has big dreams. Recently, their coaches led a little goal-setting workshop to help them think about what they want to achieve in life and how GOALS can help them get there. Want to grow up to be a goalie? Be sure to come to GOALS every day and listen to your coaches, for example! Check out what these girls in Haiti dream of with more photos on our Facebook page here.
And, in case you missed it, we had some very, very special visitors at GOALS recently: A film crew sent to document our work for FIFATV!
It was a busy summer at GOALS indeed! If you grew up playing sports, you know the myriad of benefits it brought to your own life, and you can imagine that theses benefits are multiplied for kids in Haiti who have so few opportunities. Every single day at GOALS, we're empowering young women, kids are gaining problem-solving and leadership skills through weekly community service projects and peer-led sexual health lessons; we're providing food and clean drinking water to all our players, helping kids to graduate high school and, of course, lots and lots of kids are playing lots (and lots!) of soccer!
But we can't do it without the help of our friends and supporters around the world. If you'd like to help children in Haiti play, learn and grow at GOALS, please consider making a donation to support our work.
Be sure to find out what's happening with the GOALS "Boul'anjri" bakery, literacy projects, soccer teams, and all of GOALS' projects! Follow GOALS on Twitter and Like us on Facebook to keep in touch and share with your friends about what's happening on the soccer fields of Haiti every single day.