How Sports (Soccer) Brings A Country Together
It has been a while! Our last blog was published and sent out right after our most recent fundraiser. I apologize for allowing that amount of time to pass.
It is important to note that since then we have spoken to many of our kids and begun planning the final stages of many of our kids' time at All Things New. It has been a much more time consuming process than I realized prior to beginning, but we are starting to figure out how our kids will proceed.
(Spoiler Alert: one of our girls will be a nurse in the very near future!)
Prior to writing about that and beginning the fundraising process that a process like this will include, I want to write about something that is happening right now and is of incredible value and importance to all of our kids...Soccer (or Futbol).
The World Cup began a few days ago, and one of my greatest memories in Haiti was being in country for some of these incredible worldwide events.
One thing that you have to know is that 2026 is only the second time Haiti has ever been in the World Cup, so prior to this year everyone in Haiti is either a fan of Brazil (I estimate about 75% of people) or Argentina (the remaining 25%).
The last time I was there during a World Cup, we would go all over the area trying to find a good place to watch matches. These buildings/houses usually included a small television with a huge antenna connected to a nearby structure...It was at our home on 3 different occasions, and other days we went around the area finding another place to watch.
We always found one!
If we happened to be traveling around or if we were at home when a match was going on, you always knew when a team scored because the entire country would go crazy for every single goal. When Brazil scored, it felt like the ground was shaking and thunder was rumbling across the entire country...It was an incredible thing to be a part of.
This year, Haiti has a new team to be proud of. For the first time since 1974 and the second time ever, Haiti is playing in the World Cup!
If you have ever played sports, you know the type of hope, camaraderie, teamwork, love, and unity that they can bring to a country.
It is estimated that 80% of the Port Au Prince has been taken by gangs, and that is not something that will just go away.
At the same time, a sporting event like this can bring hope and attention to a country who desperately needs a lot of both!