In memory of Norkenley Barthelemy

If you've donated to GOALS over the past year, chances are you received a thank you note in the mail with photos of beautiful and smiling GOALS participants, including one young man with a grin which doesn't seem to ever stop. How can you not love a smile that huge?

Much as we love to share pictures of GOALS children looking happy and enjoying our programs, the truth is that life in Haiti is hard. It's hard in ways we can't possibly imagine living in the United States, and with few options for health care, small problems, even those which are very manageable, can quickly turn fatal. Life expectancy is just 61 years, which is up from less than 50 years just a generation ago.

GOALS Carrefour Croix alumni player Norkenley Barthelemy passed away unexpectedly this week at the age of 20. The entire Carrefour Croix community is mourning his passing this week, and our programs are on hold in the area as participants in the village aid his family with funeral preparations.

Check out this t-shirt Norkenley created for himself!

GOALS coaches and staff always called him "Atis", Haitian Creole for "artist", which is both a friendly nickname, and a recognition of his talent. "Atis" leant his artistic talent to help GOALS, creating a few special thank you gifts for GOALS team sponsors.

In the United States, if you haven't seen someone in a while, you might say something like "Long time no see" or "Where have you been?", but in Haiti, a more common greeting is, "Ou bliye mwen?" which means, "Did you forget about me?". It is my hope that this simple blog post will serve as some small commemoration so that no, we will not forget about Norkenley, the artist, and that huge smile of his.

Nou pa bliye w / We won't forget you, Atis

 
 

GOALS is growing!

John Bunyan, author of the influential spiritual text, Pilgrim's Progress, once said, "You have not lived until you do something for someone who can never repay you." It's an inspiring thought, and one which, like Bunyan's famous book about one man's spiritual journey, challenges us to think about what is truly important in life on a day to day basis.

But what if you are the one who has been the recipient of more than you can ever repay? How do you express gratitude when "thank you" is completely inadequate? GOALS is infinitely indebted in this way to someone - someone who has given us more than we can ever repay, in the form of support, leadership, inspiration and, perhaps most importantly, a visionary belief that GOALS had the power to change thousands of lives in Haiti through sport, all the way back in 2010 when we were still making plans and testing the waters.

While you may be familiar with the GOALS' story and how founder Kona Shen and Executive Director Jolinda Hackett created and shaped our award-winning sport, health and educational programs, you're less likely to be familiar with the name Paul Sorensen, who was working behind the scenes every step of the way telling us it was possible and helping us make it happen.

After serving as GOALS' President of the Board of Directors for nearly five years, Paul has stepped aside to allow fresh leadership and new growth, and while we're sad to see him go, we're thrilled to welcome two new board members to the team:

  • Toby Simon has been integral in shaping GOALS' sexual health curriculum and leading our coaches in seminars to develop personal leadership and address gender-based violence in Haitian communities.
  • Scott Jackson is a Peace Corps alumni and soccer player who works with Haitian American immigrant students in Brooklyn and is already contributing to our organizational growth.

A simple "thank you" could never be enough to express our gratitude for what Paul has done for GOALS' children, families and staff. We know that we couldn't possibly say "thank you" enough times, but, well, we still wanted to try:

 
 

From the wheat field to the soccer field

It's been hard to keep this exciting news a secret for so long, so I'm very glad to finally share! GOALS works hard to develop our local staff into strong leaders, and, keeping bellies full is an important part our work. After all, kids can't play or learn when they're hungry. That being said, I'll let our program coordinator, Jean Kendy, speak for himself, and tell you the exciting news of what he's been working on:

Openinng soon...

"Bossan is a poor and vulnerable area close to the beach where most of the people live from fishing and agriculture. There is a lack of money and resources and it is hard to take care of a family when sometimes you don’t catch enough fish to sell. GOALS has been working at Bossan since after the 2010 earthquake. Its programs are really appreciated there since football is a Haitian passion.

Food security is one of their most important needs. After the earthquake and during hurricanes, many people could not get to the city because the roads were flooded, and there was no food for the kids to eat. After one hurricane in 2012, GOALS helped the UN bring people food to eat but if there was a bakery, people would be able to solve this problem on their own.

A bakery will be helpful for both this community and GOALS. As families don’t have enough money, it is a chance for GOALS to hire some parents to work in the bakery, and, people won’t spend as much money to buy bread in the city anymore, since it will be prepared closer in their village and be sold at a better price. Also, we can support the economy by buying flour made from wheat grown in Haiti.

The project will be dedicated to the benefit of the whole community (kids, youths and adults) and should improve the economic situation of Bossan. The money people spend on a taxi to get to the city to buy bread will be SAVED since the bread will be baked directly at Bossan and the people will be able to eat more food and spend less money.

Finally, the bakery will be a place to get more professional experience for our older kids to learn the bakery business. GOALS will help develop such talents for kids who are interested in bakery profession.

We decided to call the GOALS bakery the "BOUL’ANJRI" with an apostrophe because BOUL in Haitian Creole means “ball or soccer ball” and BOULANJRI is the word for bakery. We have a soccer bakery, so it is a BOUL'ANJRI!"

Boulanjriak Timoun

Jean Kendy has already been helping GOALS teenagers paint the new bakery, and is training up parents how to make the bread. We can't wait to get cooking! With no electricity in the village, the work of mixing the dough will be done by hand, and the ovens will be fired up using propane. It won't be easy, but we're confident that thanks to Jean Kendy's planning and leadership, the GOALS Boul'anjri will be successful, providing jobs, food security, skills training, and locally-produced food for our programs.

At GOALS, our mission is to make daily life easier, while helping to shape a better future. This what we work for every day: Healthy, nourished children who gain confidence on the soccer field and have the opportunity to grow up and make their communities a better place. And they couldn't ask for a better role model than Jean Kendy.

Like most of our kids, Jean Kendy's life has been wrought with extreme personal tragedy which, in his case, has only led to extreme personal triumph. Here's a bit of his story:

"I’m always happy when I’m talking about my life story. I grew up with my grandmother without having mother and father: both passed away. So I had an objective to reach: I wanted to go to school so I could help my country in the future. I wanted to help the youth in my community to make them able to be their own actors of the development of their country. Now I can say my dream came true.

After the earthquake that destroyed Haiti and especially Leogane, my native town, I started to help many people: I worked as a volunteer with several American organizations to help to remove rubble in houses and schools that were broken down during the disaster, to distribute hygiene kits and school supplies, build biosand water filters and rebuild schools. With the experience that I had with foreign people, I had the opportunity to improve my English. In 2011, I started to work with GOALS which gave me the biggest work experience I have."

See why we're so proud? Jean Kendy is truly an inspiration to all of the young people in Leogane, and we're happy to have him in charge of the GOALS Boul'anjri! A huge thank you to streetfootballworld and the Sony Football for Social Change initiative for selecting Jean Kendy to lead this project!

 
 

The Girls of Terrasonson

Every single day at GOALS, hundreds of kids arrive at the field in their communities to play soccer, our Dream Team scholarship students attend classes and everyone is offered a hot meal after practice. We know how important it is for kids to grow up in safe environments with nourished and healthy bodies and the opportunity to believe in themselves and a better future.

But what, exactly, does that look like, and how is it accomplished? We've seen individual lives completely transformed by GOALS, but what impact does GOALS have in the communities where we work?

GOALS is designed to create broad, long-term changes on the health of individuals and entire communities. We invest in developing our Haitian soccer coaches into models of local leadership and believe in empowering Haitians to develop their own communities, which is why all of our coaches are from the villages where they work.

Thanks to an investment from Football for Hope via streetfootballworld, GOALS was able to spend some time collecting and analyzing data to better measure the impact our programs have on individuals and families through football. Measuring the impact of sport-for-development programs isn't always easy, but it's vital to understanding how we can get better.

Using the the enthusiastic teenage girls of Terrasonson as our sample group, here's what we found:

FOOD SECURITY AND NUTRITION
When the need in Haiti is so great, making a significant impact can be simple. For example, per our baseline data, all but one of the 30 young women on the Terrasonson girls team suffers from chronic food insecurity, defined by how often they are able to eat and how often they feel hungry. By coming to GOALS programs where they receive a hot meal, girls who were previously eating only once per day are now regularly eating twice a day. Based on our height and weight measurements, one-third of the girls who were underweight at their first weigh-in moved closer towards a healthy weight at their second.

SEXUAL HEALTH KNOWLEDGE AND BEHAVIOR 
Before GOALS started working in Terrasonson, we gave the teen girls a quiz as part of our assessment and discovered that about half of the girls felt they knew enough about sexual health (puberty issues, pregnancy and STD prevention). When we asked again at the end of the year, nearly all of them (92%) reported feeling knowledgeable about sexual health issues, 80% reported knowing how to use a condom and all of them knew why to use a condom.

Knowledge doesn't always translate into action (how often do you floss, for example, even though you know you should?), but we're pretty happy to report that none of the GOALS participants in Terrasonson became pregnant this year. According to UNICEF statistics specific to Haiti, an average of 1.98 pregnancies per 30 adolescents can be expected annually, and working with boys, girls and community leaders to overcome teen pregnancies has been an ongoing challenge for GOALS.

GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE
Our data showed a significant increase in awareness of gender-based violence issues. Our health outreach in partnership with Doctors Without Borders/Medicins Sans Frontieres doubled the number of youth who knew about care options in their communities for victims of gender-based violence.

HYGIENE AND DISEASE PREVENTION
GOALS had a great impact in increasing knowledge related to food hygiene and hand washing, but we weren't able to show that this translated into significant behavioral changes. In other words, GOALS is teaching kids what to do, but they don't always actually do it. This is something we will be working to get better at. GOALS kids also learned plenty about cholera and mosquito-borne illnesses, improving their scores on a quiz after attending our health outreach program.

Our data also seems to show that GOALS' programs encourages kids to visit the doctor when they're sick. Both by encouraging access through field trips and by providing free basic care through our partner medical clinic, we work hard to reduce the economic and social barriers to accessing health services.

One of the most exciting changes we witnessed this year at Terrasonson was the interest and ability of younger girls to approach the soccer field and join in. Previously, only younger boys came to the field for unstructured play, while girls would often stand around and watch. This increasing presence of young girls is due both to the role our teen girls have as visible role models and also to changing community attitudes about girls in sports and public places.

For example, about a year ago, a religious leader in Terrasonsons was telling families that their children shouldn't play soccer as it was prohibited by their religion. GOALS staff met with him and talked about the GOALS program and the incredible benefits and opportunities that our holistic program offers and thankfully, he quickly changed his mind!

As a Beyond Sport award winner, streetfootballworld member and Football for Hope-supported organization, we're thrilled to now have enough data to show exactly how our sports-for-development programs are changing lives in Haiti every single day. But of course, none of this would be possible without the support of our friends back home who also believe in the power of sport to change lives. So far this year, we've received donations from Dallas, Boston, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Ohio, Florida and Colorado.

 
 

The Field of Dreams

GOALS has had a busy start to 2015! So busy, in fact, that we haven't updated the blog in awhile, but we're still posting photos and tidbits almost daily on Facebook, so be sure to Like our Facebook page to stay up to date.

For the third year in a row, GOALS kicked off 2015 with a two-week intensive staff training with our partner Coaches Across Continents (CAC) and their award-winning sports for social impact coach leadership curriculum. Each year, the visiting CAC staff tells us how impressed they are by the passion our coaches bring to the field with them every single day.

Life in Haiti is never easy. There's no running water, flushing toilets or electricity in any of the areas where GOALS works, but our coaches are dedicated to making life a little bit better for the young people in their communities. And it shows. CAC Coach Trainer Marissa, from Harvard women's soccer, started calling our program site "the field of dreams" because she saw just how much our coaches dream of a better future. As she wrote on her blog:

"The dream, I realized, was something that the GOALS coaches brought with them to the pitch each morning. The coaches wanted to play. They wanted to learn, and work together to solve problems."

Read more about Marissa's visit to GOALS on the Coaches Across Continents blog here.

Visiting CAC Coach Nora, who has played soccer all over the world, was inspired to see how our coaches are the breaking the mold when it comes to gender expectations. Greater equality on the pitch leads to greater equality in society, and GOALS coaches are making it happen every single day. Coach Dina, for example, had an older brother who took her under his wing and allowed her to come to the field to play soccer with him - the only girl on the field - and now, she's coaching both boys teams and girls teams with GOALS.

Check out Nora's blog about how GOALS coaches are using football to create new opportunities for young women in Haiti here.

GOALS has always known that our coaches, young Haitians themselves, are incredible role models for the next generation. And clearly, at least according to visiting coaches Marissa and Nora, it shows!

 
 

What is GOALS all about?

Our mission at GOALS is to use soccer as a platform to create real, lasting and generational change in communities in Haiti while still improving lives on a day-to-day basis. No matter which political party holds power in the country, no matter what natural disaster strikes, children will always need safe spaces to play, nourishing food to eat, and the opportunity to attend school and dream of their futures.

But what does this look like on a daily basis? Check out this video below to learn more about GOALS and what we're doing in Haiti every single day:

GOALS uses soccer to engage youth in community work and education to improve quality of life today and develop new leaders for tomorrow. Programs include local teams, health education, and scholarships. Footage courtesy of Haiti Redux, directed by Fredric King haitiredux.org Music by Septentrional Version (060413b)

 
 

The BEST Soccer and Smiles in 2014

On behalf of all our kids, their families, our staff and communities, GOALS would like to wish all of our friends and supporters a very happy new year. It's only thanks to your donations of funds and soccer equipment, Facebook likes and shares, tweets and words of encouragement that we are able to improve the lives of hundreds of children in Haiti throughout the year. On their behalf, thank you.

As a special thank you, check out this uplifting video of the absolute best soccer and smiles that you helped create in 2014:

It's been a very full year of soccer, education and health at GOALS in Leogane, Haiti. Check out the best photos of the year in this happy slideshow! For more information about how GOALS uses soccer to change lives in Haiti, please visit http://goalshaiti.org.

Again, a huge thank you for your support in 2014 and wishing you a wonderful new year!

Sincerely,
Everyone at Team GOALS!

 
 

A GOALS Holiday Dream: 12 Days, 29 Students

This holiday season, our friends over at GiveGab have given GOALS a very special opportunity to raise $4000 in 12 days for our Dream Team School Scholarship fund. But let me back up just a minute.

In September, when it was time to send our students to school, we didn't quite have all of the funds in place to pay for tuition, uniforms, and book fees. But nonetheless, we committed to sending 29 students to school and paid the first of three tuition installments. We decided to make a leap of faith that we could, somehow or other, find enough funds when the next tuition installment became due in January. Now, we have 12 days to complete our commitment to these students.

12 days, 29 students. Help us make it happen.

Each one of our Dream Team scholarship students overcome so many struggles on a daily basis. Lidia's family lost their home and their small business in the earthquake and was never able to recover. Chronic malnourishment as a child has left Junia anemic and frequently ill. Bettina rides her bike to school even when the path is so muddy she's the only on on it, determined not to miss a day of class.

Despite these challenges, they each have big dreams for their futures and their country. Steevenson wants to be an engineer. Mirlene wants to run her own business.

They believe in their dreams, and we are committed to helping them achieve them. One way or another. Help us make it happen with a donation to our GiveGab Dream Team School Scholarship campaign, and give a child in Haiti a chance to achieve their dreams. 12 days left, 29 students. Can we do it?

Thank you, in advance, for believing in our children. They deserve it.

Sincerely,

Jolinda-signature2.gif
 
 
 

GOALS 2013-2014 Annual Report now available!

GOALS 2013-2014 Annual Report is here! Thanks to the work of two amazing volunteers, Diana and Daniel, it couldn't possibly be more beautiful, and thanks to the hard work by our team on the ground in Haiti, it was an incredible year. Here's a sample of just how incredible it was:

But don't take my word for it. Check out the video overview of our annual report below, or, click here to download the report.

An overview of our beautiful 2013 - 2014 Annual Report! To get the details and read the entire report, please visit goalshaiti.org

 
 

Meet Sarah!

Meet Sarah. Sarah, from France, joined GOALS as an intern in 2013, and was hired as our Program Manager in 2014. She has been doing an incredible job managing our literacy program!

"My first year at GOALS was a balance between office work and field work. I had busy weeks organizing field activities such as tournaments, mobile clinics, and deworming events, and also more quiet times planning in the office.

What I like the most about GOALS is using football as a tool for education. Progress and development come hand in hand with education - and GOALS players know it. I am happy to see the kids learning and sharing with the rest of their community, having fun playing soccer and becoming better for it.

This year, I had the chance to be a part of crowded mobile clinics, field trips and community service with our Dream Team students, I followed environment and health trainings along with our coaches, and so much more. I am particularly proud of the accomplishments of the literacy class students. They came to class with nothing and today are able to read and write just like their peers.

Sarah talks about our literacy class with a group of visitors.
Sarah's background in community health outreach and experience with monitoring and evaluation have helped GOALS grow even stronger in 2014.

GOALS gives kids a chance to explore their passion for football, while developing into a strong, united and educated youth. The work is challenging sometimes, but it’s great to see and be a part of so many accomplishments!"

Congratulations on your one year with GOALS, Sarah! Mesi anpil! Merci beaucoup!

 
 

8 days till school starts!

School starts in Haiti next Monday, and it's an exciting time! Tailors are busy sewing school uniforms, a few lucky kids are walking around with shiny new backpacks and the local markets are full of pencils and notebooks. But if you're a parent who can't afford tuition fees, this can be the worst time of year, and if you're a child who won't be able to go to school, it's a time of worry, frustration and despair.

GOALS provides tuition support to 28 young men and women who have demonstrated that they are the best of the best among students in Leogane, Haiti. These children have worked hard to stay in school, despite all the hurdles of growing up in poverty. They bike or walk across muddy roads for an hour or more; they sit in hot, sweaty and cramped school buildings in the heat of the day, and sometimes, their families go without eating in order to afford tuition costs.

They are well deserving of our help, and I hope you'll agree that they're also deserving of yours.

Two very generous donors have offered a matching grant to help us make a last-ditch effort to keep our commitment of helping these 28 boys and girls graduated high school. Why a matching grant? These two supporters are ready and willing to donate up to $2500, but they want to inspire more people to give, in order to double their impact!

From now until September 8th, every dollar you donate to our Dream Team school tuition fund will be doubled, thanks to these fabulous supporters.

Click here to help send children in Haiti to school.

Meet our students
See photos and read their stories in their own words below. I hope they'll inspire you as much as they inspire me!

Boys:
Andre
Jean Paul
Steevenson
Kervens
Sondy
Alex
John-Addy
Reginald
Mackendy
Delson
Oscar
Olsen 

Girls:
Gregolie
Faniola
Mirlene
Christophane
Dinya
Lidia
Elcie
Junia
Fedeline
Bettina
Marquise
Joselene

Not sure how much to give? Even $10 or $20 will help send these children to school, but it you'd like to give more, here's a rough breakdown of costs:

$35 - School uniform
$50 - Books for the year
$75 - Bicycle for kids in rural areas
$125 - Transportation for the year (some kids can't ride bikes)
$350 - Tuition for the year

As always, thank you for believing in a better future for the children of Haiti with GOALS.

A video detailing the reason for the GOALS 2012 Winter Ed Campaign and the plan of action. For further information about the campaign and to donate check out http://www.crowdrise.com/goalsedfund2013 To learn more about GOALS Haiti visit www.GoalsHaiti.org To meet our Dream Team Members Check out www.nationaldreamteam.wordpress.com For a more in-depth look at some of the challenges our kids face check out our next video at http://vimeo.com/54660218 Our final link is a message from the founder and director of GOALS detailing exactly what the Winter Ed campaign will allow us to provde the communities we serve http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96_kjMBoeEI *The music in the video is Timoun Yo Graciously provided by a great Haitian Musician Belo, if you enjoyed the music it and more can be found at http://www.amazon.com/Référence-Explicit/dp/B001EBW24G/ref=ntt_mus_dp_dpt_1

 
 

Meet Olsen

I was still lying in bed last Saturday morning when there was a knock on my door. I got up, and there was Olsen, with a huge grin on his face. "Jolinda," he said, "I passed!"

Less than 20% of Haitians ever have the chance to attend high school, and due to the low quality of education, less than half of those who enroll will pass their national state exams to receive their high school diploma.

But that is not Olsen's story. Olsen passed. Olsen graduated high school. And GOALS is incredibly proud of this remarkable young man. Of course, we've always been proud of Oslen.

Donate now to support the GOALS school scholarship program

Olsen comes from Darbonne,  a peri-urban area which saw an influx of tent communities spring up after the earthquake, further stressing the already limited resources and increasing instability and insecurity.

Though he doesn’t like spending time at home, Olsen, a goalie, has flourished, at GOALS. He demonstrates both his leadership skills and appreciation for his scholarship by being the first person to volunteer for special projects. This past year, his peers elected him Vice-President of the Dream Team, our school scholarship youth council, and he volunteered to help make sure younger children in his neighborhood made it safely to and from the soccer field. 

As a testament to his efforts to better himself, Olsen always asks GOALS staff to speak English with him instead of Haitian Creole, and he's the only student who wrote his scholarship application letter in English.Last year, Olsen was recognized by his school for having the second highest grades in his class, a true testament to the benefit a scholarship through the GOALS program - which supports holistic youth development academically, socially and nutritionally -  can have.

As a soccer player and a youth leader, Olsen has always said he'd like to work for GOALS after finishing his education, and this summer, he couldn't wait any longer, and decided to open up his own GOALS site, gathering younger children in his neighborhood to lead soccer activities during the school break.All of us at GOALS are incredibly proud of Olsen, and if you've donated to our Dream Team school scholarship fund either this year or in past years, we invite you to share in that pride. Give yourself a pat on the back and feel good. Because we are. And you can bet Olsen is!

Every single one of our Dream Team scholarship students is just as dedicated and hard-working as Olsen, and GOALS is committed to giving each of them the opportunity to graduate high school too. Sondy pulls all-nighters, even though he has no electricity at his house. Junia and Steevenson go to school even on days when they have nothing to eat. Bettina will walk several miles to school, even when the roads are muddy.

These kids deserve a chance to go to school to create a better future for themselves, their families and their communities.

Please consider making a donation to the GOALS Dream Team scholarship fund to support that hope for a better future for Haiti.

 
 

Despite chikungunya, it's a summer of health at GOALS!

Despite the fact that every single one of our coaches, educators and program managers were struck with a nasty new mosquito-borne virus called chikungunya which causes high fevers and painful body aches, it's been a summer of health, here at GOALS in Leogane, Haiti.

What do you do when nearly everyone around you is struck with a painful, incurable illness like chikungunya? GOALS responded in full force (once we could walk again, that is!). We launched a new partnership with Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), to transmit critical messages about the causes, symptoms and treatment of this new-to-Haiti disease, as well as other illnesses carried by mosquitoes, such as dengue and malaria. Our partnership continues this summer as all of our kids are enrolled in MSF's intense 2-month health outreach training, where they're learning about hygiene and handwashing, nutrition, and more.

Check out this cute video of some of our younger kids singing a song they learned about mosquitoes:

MSF has been thrilled at the way GOALS is able to mobilize huge numbers of people to receive these vital health messages, even in remote areas. It’s all thanks, of course, to our network of soccer coaches who have become important community leaders!

Medical team

In June, we held two mobile clinics which treated nearly 400 patients. It was our first community-wide mobile clinic in the village of Terrasonson, and our soccer coaches stepped up to help organize and run the clinic. We’re very proud to see how they’re becoming true community leaders and role models for their teams. Thanks to April at HaitiAustin, who brought a dentist to the village of Destra for the first time ever. He was certainly busy! Along with health, discussing and brainstorming ways to prevent violence against women has been a theme at GOALS this summer.

Together, the kids at both CarrefourCroix and Terrasonson prepared and performed a special skit with the theme of gender-based and domestic partner violence, modeling for the benefit of both girls AND boys that gender-based violence is unacceptable. Such a great learning experience! We’re hoping to take this show on the road soon, to perform for other young people and their communities.

Along with health and preventing violence against women and girls, it's always soccer season, here at GOALS!

In July, we were incredibly lucky to host Coach Eamon from UC Berkeley and Marin Soccer Academy, who spent a week mentoring our coaches both as a group and individually to teach them new skills, drills and coaching techniques. It was such an honor to have someone as skilled as Coach Eamon visiting us! Thanks, Coach!

Bossan girls on the right

We also held an extraordinarily successful one-day girls soccer tournament in June, which saw several hundred girls from 8 teams and three cities participate, along with of course GOALS girls. Our CarrefourCroix girls team came in second place, and the coaches were so proud!

Finally, GOALS kids were recently featured in the French sports magazine, L’Equipe! Check it out!

Behind the scenes, we’ve been strengthening the impact of our ongoing programs and crunching the numbers to measure our impact. For example, at one site, 43% of kids who were underweight moved towards a healthy weight (based on the World Health Organization's recommended BMIs) after just six months of eating healthy meals and playing soccer at GOALS! Stay tuned for more on that coming soon.

Overall, 2014 is turning out to be the year that we achieve some of our long held dreams. Our literacy class is transforming lives, our coaches are turning into strong community leaders, and our first group of scholarship students are graduating high school and working on achieving the next dream of going to university.

All of us here in Haiti have been working hard to achieve these dreams, but of course, none of it would be possible without the support of our generous donors at home. On behalf of all of us here in Haiti on Team GOALS, a huge thank you for your support!

Click here to make a donation. Thank you for your support!

Be sure to like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for more updates and photos from our sport-for-development programs on the soccer fields of Leogane, Haiti.

GOALS staff partnering with and learning from the best in the field

This post is written by GOALS Program Manager, Jean Kendy Estimphil about his experience at the streetfootballworld Youth Leader forum:

First I would like to thank all GOALS and streetfootballworld staff and supporters, in Haiti and abroad for their hard work which helped me get a visa to go to Brazil. That was tough but worth it, and I was proud to represent GOALS during the streetfootballworld international forum!
I traveled on a Wednesday, and arrived in Brazil on Thursday in the morning, as almost everybody else that was invited to the forum. We spent that first day to meet and get to know each other.
In the morning, all the participants met together and each of us made a short presentation of ourselves and our work using soccer for social development. Then we were divided up by groups to work separately on issues important to us. In my group, we talked about gender equality. Each member of the group gave details about how this issue exists within their communities, explained how they are trying to fight for equality between men and women and how they resolve conflicts based on it, and how they use sport to address these problems.
The next day, we had a workshop based on leadership. After we finished working on this, we all played  different sports: soccer, tennis and volleyball. Then, we attended a community soccer match and then watched the Brazil match all together.
We kept working in groups, but this time about change and group challenges. As we (my team) were working on gender equality, we agreed that soccer can eliminate inequality existing between boys and girls. The interesting part of the work was when we discussed the power of soccer and explained how this can happen. At GOALS, for example, we have boys and girls playing together in training and in matches, and the boys support the girls by cheering for them, and volunteering to be a referee at their matches. We play some games to show that boys and girls are equal both in football and in life.
On the morning of the last day, we went to the beach and met Football For Hope, which is a GOALS sponsor and a part of FIFA. In the afternoon, each group had to present their results and conclusions of the two days of workshops. 
For the last night, we had a big party with music at a restaurant. It was nice to spend the last hours with all the participants of the forum and we talked about social issues in our home countries.
Streetfootballworld asked every group to keep talking and to address the subjects we worked on during the Forum when we come back to our countries. The point is to deliver all messages we learnt during those days and share them with our organizations. Now back to GOALS and Haiti, I am supposed to, as the other members of my group, to keep working on gender equality.
The experience in Brasil with Street Football World was a great time. Not only because that was my first time abroad or because it was during the World Cup 2014, but also because I got to meet and know young leaders from different countries.
Many thanks again for your support!
Sincerely,
Jean Kendy Estimphil
GOALS Program Manager

Note: Jean Kendy was selected to participate in the Youth Leader Forum based upon his proven dedication to improving his own life and that of his community and his country to create a better future. Learn more about Jean Kendy

5 reasons to support the GOALS scholarship fund

Did you know that less than a third of children in Haiti attend high school? Education is not free, and many families cannot afford to pay tuition. Each year, GOALS provides some of the brightest and most promising students in Leogane have the chance to go to school with the GOALS Dream Team scholarship program, and we need your help to cover tuition costs for the 2014-2015 school year.

Click here to donate now.

Here's five reasons why you should consider making a donation to help a student in Haiti attend school:

1. Paying for a child's school tuition is one of the easiest and simplest ways anyone can make a significant impact in Haiti, even with a small donation.

2. While we wish all children in Haiti could attend school, we've committed to selecting the children with the greatest need, the strongest leadership potential and a proven dedication to working hard and making changes every day.

Bettina (left) and John Addy

3. As an organization, we're dedicated to using funds wisely for the greatest impact. We didn't even have an office for the first 3 1/2 years - we worked outside and ran for cover when it rained. You might say we're cheap or perhaps "financially conservative", in other words, effective. 

4.  A GOALS scholarship is not actually a gift.First off, the kids work hard just to be eligible for a scholarship, then they work hard to keep it. Along with getting good grades, GOALS regularly meets with school staff to monitor their behavior and attendance. Second, students give back through service and leadership projects. For example they may lead recycling projects or beach clean-ups.

5.  We're committed not just to sending kids to school, but to seeing them graduate. To be clear: our goal is not simply to send kids to school. Our goal is to build a generation of strong, capable, inspired and inspiring leaders who will create change in Haiti, starting in their own lives and within their own communities. Yes, it's as lofty, awesome, and possible as it sounds.

Junia and her lollipop show off her new school books and uniform

Not sure how much to give? Here's a rough breakdown of costs:

  • $35 - School uniform
  • $50 - Books for the year
  • $75 - Bicycle for kids in rural areas
  • $125 - Transportation for the year (some kids can't ride bikes)
  • $350 - Tuition for the year

Go here to donate to GOALS school scholarship fund.

Thank you for believing in a brighter future for the children of Haiti with GOALS!

Be sure to like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for more updates and photos from our sport-for-development programs on the soccer fields of Leogane, Haiti.

GOALS goes to Brazil!

Special announcement! GOALS manager Jean Kendy has been selected to represent Haiti at the Sony/streetfootballworld Future Goals Youth Leaders Forum to take place amongst the excitement of the World Cup in Brazil next week! Jean Kendy's success at overcoming his own personal challenges and his dedication to bettering Haiti earned him a coveted spot at the Forum where he will join with youth leaders from 22 different countries convening to share how they use football to create change around the world. We're already incredibly proud of each member of our local team who serve as role models and leaders in their communities. Having international players such as streetfotballworld and Sony formally acknowledge excellence in our staff just confirms what we already know!

After the devastating earthquake of 2010, Jean Kendy volunteered for several different disaster response organizations, serving as a translator, language instructor, and helping out with whatever needed to be done, all while strengthening his own English and taking the opportunity to develop a variety of job skills that he'd later put to use at GOALS.

Here's an excerpt from Jean Kendy's award-winning application to participate in the Youth Leader Forum:

"I have a lot of experience in my life. I grew up with my grandmother without having mother and father: both passed away. So I had an objective to reach: I wanted to go to school so I could help my country in the future. I wanted to help the youth in my community in order to make them be their own actors of the development of their country. Now I can say my dream came true." 

When asked about how football can be used to create change, Jean Kendy replied that gender equality is one way football can have an impact both locally and globally:

"Gender equality is a big problem in poor countries... Many things are difficult to change because they are cultural habits that take time to evolve. We could achieve a lot but we need to educate people to change their mind and spirits through the generations. I would like to see the next generation have a better comprehension of gender equality. In fact, boys and girls should know better what are their role and responsibilities, and how they can work together to improve the present. For example, washing dishes or taking care of our health is for everyone, girls AND boys.

Football is a bridge that we can use to unite girls and boys, rich and poor people together. In my country, everyone plays or loves soccer...in soccer there is no difference between girls and boys so everyone can play!"

Along with gender equality, Jean Kendy hopes to come back with new ideas about using football to increase food security and decrease hunger as well as gain insight into how young people around the world are using football to change the world. GOALS is incredibly proud of Jean Kendy!

Be sure to like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for more updates and photos from our sport-for-development programs on the soccer fields of Leogane, Haiti.

Win a trip to the World Cup finals in Brazil with GOALS and The Sanneh Foundation!

Save the date!
You could be going to the World Cup finals in Brazil July 13 -15! GOALS is partnering with The Sanneh Foundation (as in soccer legend Tony Sanneh!) to raffle off a trip to Brazil to watch the World Cup final match. The prize includes airfare, hotel and two tickets to the final match. Raffle tickets are $20 each, and the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants.

Proceeds from the raffle will be used to fund our Dream Team scholarship program, which supports dedicated young leaders in Haiti - students like Olsen, Gregolie and Jean Paul -  who would otherwise be unable to afford the tuition costs to attend school.

Want to enter? Raffle tickets are available online here:

World Cup Raffle Tickets: Win a Trip for 2 to the World Cup

We're thrilled to have this exciting partnership with The Sanneh Foundation, both to provide a fun opportunity for GOALS supporters, and, to help us raise money to send our kids to school. Spend $20, get a chance to win a trip to the World Cup, and help a kid in Haiti go back to school. What's not to love? 

Buy a raffle ticket and help kids in Haiti go back to school!

Be sure to like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for more updates and photos from our sport-for-development programs on the soccer fields of Leogane, Haiti.

2014: Our most amazing year yet

Hello from Haiti!
We’re well on our way to having our best and most impactful year yet here at GOALS. Sometimes, it’s easy to see the incredible difference GOALS makes. After all, every single day more than 400 kids eat healthy meals and play soccer and 45 kids attend school, thanks to the support of our generous donors and our dedicated local staff. Sometimes, the impact is subtler, but just as important.

We’re coming up on almost two years without a single teen pregnancy at GOALS, for example, which is an incredible achievement compared to teen pregnancy rates nationwide. This is remarkable proof that with confidence developed on the soccer field and increased access to health care and health education, young people will make positive changes in their own lives, with lasting effects. GOALS proves that given the chance, youth have the power to create a better future for themselves and their communities. We just provide the opportunity.

This is the GOALS model:
Empowering individuals, soccer teams and communities to create their own positive changes.

So, what have we been up to so far this year?

This year, we launched a new literacy program in the village of Destra, where many kids are unable to attend school. Three days a week, 20 kids are learning to read and write at GOALS, and of course, we play a few fun learning games, too. Nearly all of the adults in the village of Destra are extremely low literate.

 

With GOALS literacy classes, we hope to see the day when none of the kids are illiterate. Lofty? Yes. Possible? Very.

 

In March, we partnered with Waves4Water, to provide a simple, portable and easy to use water filtration system. 600 people are now drinking clean water every single day in Destra.

Terrasonson, our newest site, has been working hard to achieve all the benefits of the GOALS program. They've planted a vegetable garden, attended a special “girls-only” clinic day at our partner clinic and the Terrasonson coaches worked hard to develop a three-part health curriculum combining serious lessons with fun soccer games to help the girls learn to make good choices and take charge of their health.

Our Bossan teams have a new compost project, thanks to help from some community volunteers! The team captains leads their teammates in watering and turning the compost pile every few days, and they'll add the compost to their community garden soon. Bossan also played in our first-ever mixed gender soccer match.  It was a close game, and the crowd went wild. The best part of all was watching so many boys and girls play together on the field, demonstrating that girls and boys can both do anything!

But all this fun is not a gift. Kids, parents and communities give back by supporting the program and through ongoing community service. Earlier this year, several GOALS kids visited an orphanage, where they helped out by fetching water, braiding hair and cleaning dishes (and playing soccer with the kids too, of course) and our soccer teams have collected hundreds of plastic bottles to be recycled through our recycling partner.

The Carrefour Croix teams put together a humorous skit about the importance of deworming which they performed for members of the community in April. We want to take the show on the road soon, to educate and encourage more communities to participate in GOALS’ deworming campaigns. I particularly love this, because it’s such a great example of what GOALS is all about:

 

Soccer teams tackling difficult development issues, with youth leading the charge to create lasting change.

 

These are some pretty amazing achievements in just the first half of the year. While we’re always proud of our youth, just as important is how the GOALS program develops strong community leaders, and we've seen our coaches grow so much this year! Our team of coaches in Destra organized and distributed the Waves4Water filters in their community completely independently – not an easy task! We're also proud of our alumni who have been volunteering their time at literacy class, providing one-on-one help for the kids who need it most.

Coach Walker has been saving up to enroll at a university in Port-au-Prince, where he started attending classes part-time, and coach Nadege went back to school this year to get her high school diploma - not an easy task as a mother, a foster parent for her nieces, and a GOALS coach.

We're proud to have such outstanding leaders and role models on our team!

It’s an incredible experience to be a part of all these changes here on the ground in Haiti, but of course, none of it would be possible without the support of donors and supporters such as you. So on behalf of our talented kids, dedicated coaches and local staff, thank you for believing in GOALS and for investing in a better future for kids in Haiti.

Sincerely,
Jolinda Hackett
Executive Director

Click here to make a donation. Thank you for your support!

Be sure to like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for more updates and photos from our sport-for-development programs on the soccer fields of Leogane, Haiti.

One month at GOALS: March by the numbers

Check out what we've been up to recently at GOALS!

Click here to make a donation.

A suggested donation of $35 will provide one week of meals for a soccer team and $110 will sponsor a literacy student.

Thank you for your support and thank you for believing in a better future for Haiti with GOALS. Be sure to like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for more updates and photos from our literacy, education, leadership and sport-for-development programs on the soccer fields of Leogane, Haiti.

How to help kids in Haiti without spending a penny

Are you an Amazon shopper?
Shop at Amazon now through March 31st and GOALS will receive a FREE donation of $5 which goes straight to helping kids in Haiti at no extra cost to you! Just shop through this link or go to smile.amazon.com and search for "Global Outreach and Love of Soccer".

Here's more ways to help GOALS (for free!):

1. If you're a big internet shopper: Save that link! Amazon always donates a portion of your purchase to GOALS when you register at this link. Register today to donate .5% of future purchases to help kids in Haiti with GOALS. It's absolutely free.

2. If you like coffee and donuts: You can help kids in Haiti every time you have a cup of coffee! Here's how. Sign up with GoodSwipe and earn up to 3% cash back for GOALS at thousands of shops, restaurants and movie theaters nationwide (including Dunkin' Donuts).

3. If you spend a lot of time online: Switch from Google to GoodSearch and you're on your way to earning free money for GOALS! Sign up here and search for "GOALS Haiti".

4. If you have a blog: Blog about GOALS! Tell your readers why you love GOALS (and tell them to register at Amazon Smile!). Here are some examples:

GOALS by Avery Doninger

Now who's awesome? by Portzers in Haiti

Friends of Haiti, by Kreyolicious

5. If you've got tons of Facebook friends: How many of your Facebook friends "like" GOALS? Find out at facebook.com/goalshaiti and invite your friends to "like" our page by clicking "Invite". Easy? Yes. Free? You bet!

6. If you're trying to clean out your garage: Through their GivingWorks program, you can donate a percentage of your eBay auctions to GOALS! We've raised enough money to feed an entire soccer team for a week from eBay donations this year. As a bonus, eBay highlights your listing with a special icon, making it stand out and be seen. Just select "GOALS Haiti" at givingworks.ebay.com.

7. If your company has a matching gifts program: Ok, so this one isn't completely free. Many companies (including big names like Microsoft and Boeing) will match employee donations dollar for dollar, doubling your impact. Is your company one of them? Find out!

World Water Day 2014
600 people are drinking clean, safe water thanks to a GOALS and Waves for Water partnership. 
See more pictures.

Literacy at GOALS! 
Our literacy program is in full swing! Kids are learning to read, playing fun learning games and gaining skills to last a lifetime. 

Learn more about literacy at GOALS or sponsor a student.

Public health outreach
See the pictures from GOALS' latest deworming campaign to help get rid of intestinal worms which contribute to malnutrition and other illnesses. Plus, check out one way GOALS makes learning about serious issues FUN!

Click here to make a donation.

A suggested donation of $35 will provide one week of meals for a soccer team and $110 will sponsor a literacy student.

Thank you for your support and thank you for believing in a better future for Haiti with GOALS. Be sure to like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for more updates and photos from our sport-for-development programs on the soccer fields of Leogane, Haiti.

Questions? Send us an email: contact@goalshaiti.org