Community-Peace-Soccer

Most of the people reading this blog contributed money, soccer balls, jerseys, equipment and good vibes to our project and we could NOT be any more grateful!  After leaving the beautiful coast behind, we traveled back to the place we'd stay in Port-au-Prince, called the Haiti Communitiere  (HC).  I am not writing this blog as a travel guide so I haven't included reviews, etc. of everything we've done so far but if you are interested in a UNIQUE experience, consider staying there.  It is part campgrounds, part hostel and totally special.  The lodging options consist of a few converted shipping containers and a few upcycled huts (made of recycled tires and bottles and mud) that were all designed to be low-cost and safe housing options.  The walled off grounds include these containers, some compost toilets, showers, a communal kitchen and a few gathering spaces.  The kids were able to just run free and play with the adorable dog, chase chickens, and play ...

Visiting Sakala!!! The trip to Sakala was everything we hoped- the organization and its founder, Daniel Tillias, are amazing.  He literally constructed a sanctuary of hope and peace in the middle of an area of Haiti that is considered "trash." He talked again and again about how his goal was to build the self-confidence and resiliency of these kids so that they may have bigger dreams and a pathway to achieve them.  We only delivered equipment and stayed for a day, but he told me directly then and since that our visit and the knowing that so many people were behind the donations, had a profound impact on the children.  To know that people you've never met think you are WORTHY of new things and DESERVE to have a safe place to play and be a kid is, in itself, valuable. Speaking of playing- these kids were amazing!  These kids, mostly playing barefoot on hot concrete, had crazy footskills and stamina, despite not having sufficient equipment.  When we arrived, th...

Beautiful beach resort for the first few days! Even though we had Wifi service the whole week, we didn't bring a laptop so it was hard to update this blog on our trip.  We were also too busy enjoying the amazing scenery, people and food that is Haiti.  Here are a few pictures from our first few days at an all inclusive beach resort about a hour from the airport ( http://kalikobeachclub.com/ ). We drove there late Sunday night and I think the kids were a little overwhelmed by the traffic.  Between the trucks with no lights on, the motorcyclists flying by and the people and goats walking in the streets, the ride was an adventure in itself.  The beach resort was beautiful and we practically had the place to ourselves.  We each stayed in our own little "huts." We ate great food (three buffet meals a day!), took a quick water taxi ride to see the coastline and played in the water and the pool.  On Tuesday, we were picked up in a tap-tap and taken to another ...

We are SO grateful for all the donations and support from friends and family!  We are taking with us: * 200 soccer balls * 120 custom uniforms (jerseys, shorts, and matching socks) to outfit the 6 Sakala soccer teams * 100+ extra pair of soccer shorts * 100+ extra t-shirts and gently used soccer jerseys * 50+ pairs of soccer socks * dozens of shin guards & goalie gloves * 250 "blessing bags" with protein bars and toiletries (thank you Hillcrest Epik Kids in Action!) Thank you to CYSL , Catonsville Cobras ,  MSI   and Mt. St. Joe Soccer for the very generous donation of balls and equipment.  Thank you to Play it Again Sports in Ellicott City for cranking out the awesome uniform sets AT COST!  And, thank you to everyone else for the cleats, jerseys, balls and money.  ALL of it is going to good use! And lastly, thank you to Kate Jaudon, Mary Beth Capka and the entire Epik Kids in Action team at Hillcrest for collecting protein bars and t...

For anyone that doesn't know us, we are the Simonsen family (Mike, Monica, Stanley and Dane).  Stanley and Dane LOVE soccer and were excited to find out that there is an organization in Haiti (where Stanley was born) that is using soccer to promote peacebuilding. " S AKALA was founded to encourage the rival neighborhood groups of Cite Soleil to find a peaceful path to live together." Since we are traveling back to Haiti in November, we wanted to find a way to build solidarity with these athletes who are working hard to make their communities better.  Since we live in an amazing community (Life is Great in 21228!), we are hoping everyone will join us in supporting these young athletes and this amazing organization.   ****Help us  sponsor  the 6 Sakala teams with new jerseys, socks, and shorts.  It will cost us about $3,000 to outfit each player with uniform sets with the name of a famous peacemaker (i.e., Nelson Mandela) on the jersey. Thank you to Play It ...