Film Premiere: Cane & Able - Hope in Hispaniola

Please join the University of Vermont travel-study program to the Dominican Republic and the Center for Health and Well-Being on World AIDS Day for the world premiere of:

Cane and Able: Hope in Hispaniola
Chittenden Bank Room, Davis Center, Room 413
Tuesday, December 1st at 4 p.m.

This new documentary by Fleischer Films highlights ongoing service-learning projects of University of Vermont students and faculty in Haitian migrant communities in the Dominican Republic, including a community farming initiative with Seeds of Self-Reliance and an HIV/AIDS prevention education program with Grassroot Soccer.  Following the film will be a short discussion with UVM faculty Jon Erickson (Rubenstein), Pat Erickson (Animal Science), John Hayden (Plant and Soil Science), and McKew Devitt (Romance Languages) and current and past students from their Dominican Republic classes.

For more information on upcoming January and March faculty-led programs abroad to the Dominican Republic, see: http://learn.uvm.edu/studyabroad/dominican_republic.

For more information on the event, please contact Jon Erickson at jon.erickson@uvm.edu or 802-656-3328.

5th UVM 'Lose the Shoes' Soccer Tournament and Fundraiser

Please join us for the University of Vermont's 5th "Lose the Shoes" soccer tournament and fundraiser in support of Futbol para la Vida, an HIV/AIDS prevention education program in the Dominican Republic that is part of the international Grassroot Soccer network. This semester's 3 v. 3 barefoot soccer tournament will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the University of Vermont campus. Join us on the intermural soccer fields near the Patrick Gym for some food, prizes, music and ... of course ... barefoot soccer. For more information or to pre-register a co-ed team, please get in touch with Christina Newman at cnewman@uvm.edu. If you need convincing that barefoot soccer is a good idea in Vermont in October, just check out picts from past UVM "Lose the Shoes" events: 4th, 3rd, 2nd, and 1st.

4th UVM 'Lose the Shoes' tournament to benefit Futbol para la Vida

On Sunday, April 26th, the University of Vermont hosted its 4th "Lose the Shoes" barefoot soccer tournament and fundraiser to benefit Futbol para la Vida, an HIV/AIDS prevention education project in the Dominican Republic and a member of the international Grassroot Soccer network.

The 3 v. 3 tournament missed the beautiful Vermont spring (a 1-day season) by just one day, but futbolistas braved the cold and the wind to play in four rounds of barefoot games, followed by found rounds of single elimination playoffs. The day included a raffle with prizes from Burlington businesses, music, pizza from Papa John's, and of course a Grassroot Soccer demonstration.

Many thanks to all the UVM students, faculty, and alumni who played (including Achier who came all the way from Boston!). A special thanks to Christina Newman and Devon Byrne who organized the fundraiser. If you're interested in getting involved with a "Futbol para la Vida" UVM student club and helping to organize our next barefoot tournament in the fall, please get in touch with Christina at cnewman@uvm.edu.

Below are some photos from the day by Devon. Enjoy.

Goal!!!

Our fearless leader, Christina.

Bloody knees and broken toes. Hardcore barefoot soccer in Vermont.

Grassroot Soccer demo ... hide-the-ball led by Batey Libertad alumni Kris McKernan.

Group shot. (We really need a banner.)

Kamaro, a raffle prize winner.

Team spirit award - snazzy new sippy cups.

We are the champions! Can you hear Queen playing in the background?

3rd UVM "Lose the Shoes" tournament to benefit Futbol para la Vida

The 3rd University of Vermont "Lose the Shoes" soccer tournament went off on a snowy December 7th in Vermont. While only a few "futbolistas" braved the indoor tennis courts without shoes, over 15 teams got together for a 3 v. 3 tournament and fundraiser that is quickly becoming a fall semester tradition. UVM students raised money to support Futbol para la Vida, an HIV/AIDS prevention education program in the Dominican Republic that is part of the international Grassroot Soccer network.

"Abazos" to Matt Linder for organizing the tournament, and to all the UVM students who trudged to the gym on a cold Sunday morning just before the last week of classes.

Grassroot Soccer co-founder on CNN

Co-founder of Grassroot Soccer, Ethan Zohn, was interviewed this month by CNN as he wrapped up his recent HIV awareness campaign, a soccer ball dribble from Boston to Washington, DC. Grassroot Soccer continues to expand programs and train new NGO partners in HIV/AIDS prevention education throughout Africa, as well as supporting our Futbol para la Vida program in the Dominican Republic through sharing their curriculum and with joint fundraising opportunities.

For more on this recent interview with Ethan, check out the CNN video clip below.

Highlights from Nov. '08 UVM travel-study class to the DR

The latest group of University of Vermont (UVM) students returned from their November break trip to the Dominican Republic with a long list of accomplishments, and a still longer list of new found friends. The group worked with the community of Batey Libertad to accomplish many projects, including building a bathroom for the community center and health clinic, freshening-up the community center with a new coat of paint, fixing a community shower, and repairing a stinky latrine. Thirteen students and UVM faculty Pat and Jon Erickson also coordinated a community health clinic, hosted the 7th Annual Soccer Tournament of the Batey Libertad Coalition, brought two buses full of smiling faces to the beach for the day (despite the rain!), participated in a vodou presentation, and had quite a dance party during one of the home-stay evenings.

The fundraisers leading up to the trip also supported a bed project of the Las Madres de la Iglesia women's group -- raising enough money to buy 6 beds for batey residents in need -- and the immigration project of the Famn Vayan women's group -- purchasing candles to earn money for passports and visas for Haitian women to live and work legally in the DR. The group was also successful in obtaining a visa for Emely (aka Negrita) to come back to the U.S. with for her ear surgery later this month. In between days at Batey Libertad they managed to visit Santiago, Puerto Plata, Cabarete, the community of Saman, and the border town of Dajabon ... with lots of coughs, stomach aches, and fevers thrown in with the rain just to spice things up a bit.

If you're interested in learning more about travel-study opportunities to the DR, please join this semester's class on Tuesday, December 9th in 105 Aiken on the UVM campus as we share some trip experiences and final reflections from a busy couple weeks in Hispaniola. Students from upcoming travel study courses to the DR in January and March will be in attendance as we pass the service-learning baton. If you're interested in learning more about our yearly trips and ongoing projects in health education, community gardening, Spanish literacy, and community development then please don't miss this opportunity to connect with students and faculty from past, current, and future trips.

2008-09 UVM Travel Study Courses to the DR

The University of Vermont (UVM) will lead three travel-study courses to the Dominican Republic to work with the communities of Batey Libertad and Saman during the 2008-09 academic year. These international service-learning courses have been run in partnership with these communities and local NGOs working in the DR since 2005.

The first group of UVM students will be led by Drs. Pat and Jon Erickson during the Thanksgiving week. The focus will be community health, with projects including a Futbol para la Vida HIV/AIDS course at two local schools in Esperanza, a community health clinic, bed donations, and numerous projects involving upkeep and expansion of the services of the community center and clinic. Students are organizing a number of fundraisers in Burlington, Vermont, including a benefit dinner, candle and bake sale, a dribble-a-thon with UVM soccer teams, a run-a-thon with UVM running teams, and a 3rd annual Lose the Shoes soccer tournament. The class will also be supporting the annual Batey Libertad Coalition soccer tournament at Batey Libertad on Saturday, November 29th, and returning to Burlington, VT to host a World AIDS Day event on December 1st.

Over the January winter break, John Hayden of UVM's Plant and Soil Science Department and Seeds of Self Reliance will lead a class to continue the community gardening project with the Batey Libertad community. The class will also be helping to start a new community garden in Saman, a barrio of the city of Montellano in the province of Puerto Plata. More info. on last year's class is available at: http://dominicancommunitygardens.org.

To round out the academic year, Mckew Devitt of UVM's Romance Language Department will return for his 4th trip to Batey Libertad to continue work on language literacy and service-learning. The March '08 class built a home for a family at Batey Libertad.

Big news from Lena in Zambia

Here's the latest blog from Lena Forman, a former volunteer for Futbol para la Vida in the Dominican Republic and now heading up a Grassroot Soccer program in Zambia. We're hoping she'll bring back all this experience to the DR!!! Go Lena!

Muli bwanji!

I know for many of you it is starting to get cold as the fall sets in but in Zambia we are just starting the rainy season. When I first arrived we used to joke about how each day was exactly the same when it came to weather. There was always a cloudless blue sky during the day and an amazing sunset in the evening. However, just about two weeks ago that all started to change. It started off when we noticed some clouds in the sky during the day. A few days later we watched as some mean looking dark clouds rolled in and covered the whole sky like a sheet. Then there was the thunder and you could only anticipate what was going to happen next. All of a sudden the sky opened and it very quickly when from drizzle to rain to downpour. Not only that but at one point there were small balls of hail falling from the sky! You couldn't leave where you were because you would get soaked (or 'socked' as Zambians say) instantly. This lasted for maybe about an hour and then slowed up and started to pass and everyone resumed what they were doing. Since that first rain about 2 weeks ago it has probably rained at some point on 5 different days. Apparently the rain has come early this year as it usually doesn't start until the last week in October (so right around now) and it will last until March. I'm told that life is pretty different during the rainy season because it is often difficult to plan things because you never know when it's going to rain or if people will show up because of the weather. Also, when it rains, it pours! It's going to be a pretty wet next few months for sure!

The big news…..I recently found out that I will be heading up a big GRS-Zambia project that was just approved for funding that we (the local Zambia crew) were completely unaware had even been applied for. Most of the work that Grassroot Soccer does in Zambia is centered around Lusaka. However, there was a project that was started a few years ago out in some refugee camps to the west and northwest of Lusaka that were well received, successful, and effective. GRS, along with another Lusaka-based organization called Breakthrough Sports Academy (BSA), went into the camps and trained people on teaching health education (training peer educators in the GRS curriculum) and also trained people to become soccer coaches and how to organize soccer leagues (the work BSA does). The project started in 2005 and ended in July 2007.
That's where I come in. The grant is from UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) and is for $135,000 to go back to the camps and see what is still going on in terms of Grassroot Soccer and the soccer leagues that were formed. I will be traveling to two camps called Mayukwayukwa and Maheba (pronounced Maa-you-kwa-you-kwa and Ma-hey-ba…it's not as hard as it looks). These camps were created in the mid 1970s soon after Angola (the neighboring country to the west) broke out in civil war after gaining independence from Portugal. This civil war lasted for 27 years and finally ended in 2002. However, many of the refugees that fled from Angola into Zambia have spent the majority of their lives in Zambia and a large population of them were born and grew up there at these Zambian camps. After 2002, the IOM (International Organization for Migration) helped to repatriate (bring back to their home country) tens of thousands of Angolans in Zambia back to Angola. However, many have chosen to stay in Zambia because it has become their home after all these years. There are also refugees living in these camps from countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda. One issue is that since many of these refugees have spent the majority or all of their lives in these Zambian refugee camps they face challenges when it comes to languages and culture in their home country if they return. They also are not Zambian citizens even though they may have been born in Zambia. Even if they are married to a Zambian they are still not a Zambian citizen (like in the US). These camps have been set up by the Zambian government and are monitored by the UNHCR and the High Commissioner.

So where exactly do I come in? Like I said I will be heading up this project to go back to these camps and evaluate where things are at (if there is anything at all) from our previous project. The last time we were in camp was July 2007 but we found out recently that apparently the soccer league that was set up during the last project is still somewhat running which is good to hear. My team that I will be working and traveling with on this project will include one other GRS staff (a Zambian) as well as one or two people from Breakthrough Sports Academy (BSA). We are not sure exactly who it is that will be joining me yet though. Within the next couple weeks we will be leaving for Mayukwayukwa where the plan is to live for about 4-5 weeks and do a site assessment and then decide what should happen from there. Although there were about 30 people trained during the original project we have no idea who is left or even still lives in the camp from this original group. The thought is that after the assessment we will run a TOT (Training of Trainers) and teach, or re-teach, the GRS curriculum so that these new peer educators can teach their community. The idea is that the GRS curriculum would coincide with the soccer league. For example, once a week a team of soccer players would go through one of the GRS activities with a trained GRS coach and then after they would play in their soccer match who is being coached by a BSA coach. So in those first 4-5 weeks we would try to set this up. Then, after returning to Lusaka, every 6 weeks we would return to the camp for about 10 days to do follow up visits and see how everything is progressing, see what is needed, etc. The same kind of idea would happen with Maheba except on a different schedule/different weeks. The camps are also pretty remote. For example, to get to Mayukwayukwa it is a 7 hour bus ride west of Lusaka to a city called Kaoma and then another 2 hours west in a car to get to the camp. My understanding is that the closest internet could be Kaoma and there is very limited cell phone service. This, however, is what I've heard from people who were there last year and things like cell phone coverage may have changed a bit by now. I have attached a map of the area so you can see where I'm going. Mayukwayukwa is in the Western Province and Maheba is in Northwestern Province.

I am very excited about the project because it seems like such a great opportunity and interesting project to get involved in. It's also pretty cool that I get to live at the camps for an extended period of time with multiple follow-up visits because I will really get an opportunity to get to know the people who live there. There is a lot that needs to get sorted out before we go though (for example I am trying to set up a meeting with the actual High Commissioner in Lusaka to inform him/her that we will be in the camps because they monitor the camps and basically we have to get their stamp of approval). Also the proposal plan and budget are very loose which gives me more flexibility in the project and basically complete control over what we decide to do (kind of a scary thought because I really don't know what I am doing right now!).
Some other interesting information about the project…in terms of the soccer part of the project, the league has been a huge success in the communities. Often a huge population of the community will actually close up what they are doing on game day and all come out to watch the matches that are going on. Also for those who are participating in the league many parents reported that they were happy because at the end of the day instead of going out after dinner and getting into trouble, their kids were staying in because they were tired from soccer practice or games. On the health education side, a study was done with Angolans who had returned to their communities in Angola where surveys were given to both those who were former refugees and those who never left Angola. It was found that those who were former refugees had more knowledge when it came to health education and making healthy life choices. Also, it was found that returnees often face stigma because they are actually returning from a country where the HIV prevalence is higher (2006 USAIDS estimates that Zambia's prevalence to be 17% and Angola's 3.7%). However, because the returnees are more knowledgeable about HIV they are able to deal with that stigma better and educate others about the facts around HIV/AIDS which helps them to reintegrate into their communities better.

Okay so I know that was a lot of information all at once which is a bit of what I have felt too because I knew nothing about any of this until about 2 weeks ago (but I am finally starting to understand). I hope all the different parts make sense because I know it is pretty confusing. If you have any questions let me know. I hope to send off another email before I leave for the first camp.

Oh yeah and today is Zambia's Independence Day (24th October)! Zambia turns 44 years old today so Happy Independence Day!

Usale bwino! (Stay well!)
Lena

Benefit Dinner for Ear Surgery a Big Success

On Friday, October 24th, the University of Vermont's Gund Institute for Ecological Economics hosted a benefit dinner and silent auction to raise money for ear surgery for Negrita, a 6 year-old Haitian-Dominican of Batey Libertad. The event was a big success, raising money for a procedure necessary to save Negrita's hearing. A huge "abrazos" from the Batey Libertad community to Carol Franco and Ida Kubiszewski for organizing the event and cooking up some delicious Dominican food, and to all the students and faculty for your generous donations.

If you're still interested in donating, checks can be made out to "Batey Libertad Fund" and sent to: Jon Erickson, 344 Aiken Center, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405. Please write "Negrita" in the memo.

Former FPV volunteer to continue GRS program in Zambia

Here's the latest from one of our former Futbol para la Vida volunteers, now in Zambia with Grassroot Soccer. Thanks for the update Lena!

Hello everyone!

It has been a while since I last wrote and a lot has happened since I arrived in Lusaka, Zambia just over 2 weeks ago. I don't know if all of you read it but I posted a blog on the Grassroot Soccer website after my first day in Lusaka with some of my first impressions.

So since I arrived we have been very very busy with learning about the different programs that are running in Zambia, meeting my new co-workers and friends, seeing Grassroot Soccer on its many different levels out in the field, moving houses, and attending a funeral.

First off, the money is called "kwacha" and the exchange is about 3500 kwacha = $1. There are no coins, just bills. Gas is called petrol. When you move (as in where you live) it's called "shifting". Cookies are biscuits. You drive on the left side of the road. Power can go off randomly. White people are "muzungus".

The GRS office in Zambia is a small one compared to the one in South Africa. There are 3 Americas (me, Stuart, and Elise) and 5 Zambians. Currently only 3 of them are in the office because 2 of them are actually working on some GRS projects in the country of Malawi but will be back later this year. The 3 in the office now who I have come to be very close with in just these couple of weeks are Gesh, Fridah, and Peter. Not only are they my co-workers but they are also my closest friends and amazing people. I've learned so much from them in this short time and am continually impressed by the work they are doing. They are the main master trainers (along with the 2 in Malawi) who train the people who will be the ones delivering the curriculum to the kids. For example, at the end of last week we ran a 3-day development course for 30 teachers (mostly phys ed) who are teaching the GRS curriculum to their kids at their respective schools. These were teachers who were trained back in 2005 in GRS but this course acted as a refresher course for them to review the activities and how best to teach them as well as be updated on changes to the curriculum. We were also able to provide them with a new set of the materials they need to play the activities (a soccer ball, tennis balls, cones, Fact/Nonsense cards, etc). They were a really fun group to get to know and a good way to jump right GRS business. Since I'm not yet qualified to teach the activities I helped more with making sure things were running smoothly during the day by timekeeping, checking on the food for our breaks/lunch, participating in some activities, and teaching some new energizers/ice breakers. (If anyone has any good energizers/ice breakers please please email them to me because we are looking for some new ones!) A new food that I got to try during this session was a staple in Zambia called nshima which is pounded maize/corn. It's a lump of food eaten with your fingers along with beans, meat, and rape (a greens dish with an unfortunate name). I think it's good but it definitely fills you up because you essentially end up with this dough ball in your stomach. Each day after we ate this for lunch we couldn't even eat a real dinner because we still weren't hungry even later at night.

We have started to sort out who will be working on what projects for us interns. These are still tentative because we just found out about a few new grants that we have been awarded that will change this structure a bit. As of right now I will be working with the peer educators from another organization called Africa Directions (AD). AD runs all different kinds of activities for youth from sports to drama and more. Young adults (mainly 19-25 +/-) run these activities and GRS has teamed up with them and trained many of them in the GRS curriculum to become peer educators. Currently the AD peer educators are finishing up working with a group of young boys between 9-12 years old who participate in a program called Zambia Street Football Network (ZSFN). These boys play on teams within this league which meets every Sunday morning and what happens is that each week teams run through a GRS activity with the AD peer educators and then after play with their respective teams in the soccer league. I got to see this in full action for the first time this past Sunday and it was really fun, especially to see the young boys learning while having fun and running around.

I will also be taking over the finances for the GRS Zambia office (something I need to get trained in!) as well as helping assist with the teacher's program that I mentioned above. This would include going on site visits to see the teachers running the programs in their classrooms and checking in on them. Just so you have a sense of where GRS and these programs get some of their funding this program is being sponsored by MAC, the cosmetics company, which has a fund called MAC AIDS.

Other big news is that we have "shifted" to our new house. When I first got here we were living in a cottage on the property of another person in an area of Lusaka called Kabulonga. The property had 2 full houses and a cottage, a pool, a pool house, 3-4 gardeners, and a guard at the gate with an electric fence. All the nicer properties in Lusaka have big gates. Our new house that we have shifted to is really nice as well (but no pool haha). We have moved to an area called Ibex Hill and we have the whole property to ourselves which consists of our house and a smaller cottage in the back which is actually going to become the new GRS office in the next month or so (significantly cutting down on our transport to work!). The house also has a nice garden in the back and a really nice yard. There is currently a gardener hired by our landlady who has been helping to get the house ready for us to move in but I don't think we are planning on keeping him on because we're here to put our resources into fighting HIV/AIDS, not keep our lawn manicured. However, then we are also taking a job away from someone. We have also struggled because we have hired a guard named Thomas who stays from 6pm-6am. The three of us living here feel so strange having a guard who has to sit by our gate for 12 hours through the night just to watch over us and our house. It has nothing to do with him because he couldn't be a nicer person but it's just something that none of us have really experienced on such a personal level before. However, it's more than normal/expected to have a guard, especially as muzungus, and it is for safety reasons it just feels strange.

The funeral. Since I arrived, the uncle of one of my co-workers as well as the uncle and the brother of another co-worker have passed away. This past Monday I attended the funeral of the brother of my friend and co-worker Gesh. We had known that his brother was sick because Gesh had been going to visit him often after work at the hospital so it wasn't completely unexpected but still very very sad. Gesh was 1 of 10, and now 9, siblings who have already lost both of their parents. However, as Gesh explained to us, uncles, aunts, cousins are all mothers, fathers, and siblings to each other. The funeral was almost a full-day event starting with a service and then a burial. The service was at an outdoor church/structure in his compound (community) and when we got there we found out that it was actually a combined service for both Gesh's brother and another man. There had to have been over 300 people there with women sitting on one side in their chitenge (traditional fabric), a big choir in the middle, and the men on the other side. There was so much singing (mostly in Nyanja, the local language) and we tried to join from the booklets that were distributed. Unfortunately I couldn't understand what I was saying but the songs were very beautiful. The part that hit me the most during the service was part way through when the related women came in wailing follow by the caskets of the deceased men and also when Gesh's eldest brother read a brief bio about their brother and said that he was born in 1980 (which made him 28 years old when he died). We think that his brother may have died of AIDS because we knew that one of Gesh's brother had HIV and this brother had been sick for a while but it's not something that you can just straight out ask about. That really hit hard and made me realize why I'm really here. After the service we drove to the cemetery for the burial and watched as the casket was lowered in to the ground and the friends and family continued to pile the dirt in, passing the shovel and sharing the labor. The cemetery was so big and as we drove by I couldn't help but notice the dates on the tombstones…1986, 1982, 1973, 1987…everyone seemed so young and it made me wonder why all these people had died at such a young age. It was a very real experience sitting there in the hot dusty Zambian sun in the middle of a huge cemetery as I watched one of my closest friends bury his not yet 30 year old brother. I can only hope that the work that we are doing with Grassroot Soccer is lessening these cases. I can see why Gesh is so passionate about his work and good at what he does.

I know that there is much more I could share but I think this post has reached its limit. I hope I didn't lose you part way through. Thank you for those who responded to my previous emails. It is always nice to hear the updates in your lives. Also be sure to check out the video Lusaka Sunrise on YouTube to see where I am currently living (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyplef2Hi6Y). (I know the guy Ebby who is interviewed during it.)

Until next time…
Lena

(next time I write I will have a Zambian name also…it is still being debated by my friends... :-)

GRS field notes from South Africa ...

Here's the most recent update from Lena Forman (UVM '08) who's volunteering for Grassroot Soccer in South Africa -- our main partner in developing the Futbol para la Vida HIV/AIDS prevention education program with partner communities in the Dominican Republic. Lena helped to develop the web page of FPV and started our annual University of Vermont barefoot soccer tournament and fundraiser during her studies in Community Development. Go Lena!

Hello everyone!

I hope all is going well since I last wrote! A lot has happened in my world since then for sure! Since my last email I have had the opportunity to explore Cape Town more including visiting some townships in the area, we started learning more about Grassroot Soccer (GRS) including the curriculum, we met trainers from all over South Africa as well as some other African countries, and, lastly, we learned where we are being placed for the rest of our time as a field interns.

Firstly, I got to experience one of the most beautiful places I've ever been two Saturdays ago when me and most of my fellow interns hiked up Lion's Head. I did take pictures but my photos don't do it justice so if you would like to see what and where I'm talking about you should do a Google search for "Lion's Head Cape Town". It was a really nice hike and even included climbing up some chains and ladders to get to the very top (you'll see what I mean when you find a photo). We also visited both the townships of Khayelitsha and Langa. A township is a community that was created by the South African government during apartheid where people who were not white Afrikaans were sent to live. The conditions were bad and still continue to suffer although some areas are getting better. In a township you can see anything from a lot of tiny tin shacks to a nice cement block home with a fancy car in the driveway. We also went to Robben Island where political prisoners like Nelson Mandela spent much of their imprisonment during apartheid. Our tour guide was actually a former Robben Island prisoner himself so it was really interesting to hear talk about his own experiences as well as give the tour.

Last week we had a training in which current GRS coaches/trainers from Cape Town (SA), Port Elizabeth (SA), Bloemfontein (SA), Lusaka (Zambia), and Nairobi (Kenya) came to Cape Town and we had a week-long training where we learned more about Grassroot Soccer, heard about their personal experiences with the program (because they are all top trainers in their respective communities), and learned from each other. These were some of the most amazing people that I have ever met! They are so passionate in what they are doing and are so smart and articulate in their thoughts and ideas. All of us field interns felt so inspired by them and their energy. I can't begin to explain how much I learned from them during the week and how close our two groups came to each other. We had so much fun together both during our training sessions and after just hanging out. To see one of the amazing women that we met (named Titie) you can watch this 20 minute video that was made about GRS and features her (http://www.globalonenessproject.org/videos/agameforlife). During our week of training together we learned about the history of GRS, the different project initiatives that are happening all over Africa that GRS is involved in either directly or through partnerships, we learned what it takes to run a successful program, we did a diversity training as well as a gender sensitivity training, we learned bits of some of the local languages, and we learned about HIV/AIDS in Africa and the social context as well as had a doctor speak with us about exactly how HIV/AIDS affects the body and how it is spread and was open for all of our questions.

This week (going on our 3rd week here in Cape Town) we are attending a Training of Trainers (TOT) in which new trainers from partnering organizations (not the trainers that we spent the past week with) along with us are being trained in how to deliver the curriculum to kids. The only difference with us, however, is that us field interns will mostly likely not be delivering the curriculum directly to kids. We are here as a support to those local trainers who will run the program with the kids and to help out with much of the organizational work as well as working on other GRS projects. We are going through this TOT though so that we can all fully understand exactly how the program works because the actual curriculum is really the main component of the organization and the program that it runs.

As for what GRS has in store for me in the future, this past weekend we all finally got our placements for the rest of our year here and I found out that I will be headed to ZAMBIA!! Me and my fellow field intern Stuart are going to be the only two from our intern group working outside of South Africa and will be living and working in and around Lusaka, the capital of Zambia. Zambia is one of the flagship sites of GRS so there is a GRS office that we will be working out of along with the other current Zambia staff. We were fortunate enough to meet Gesh, one of the main Zambian trainers, during the training last week and got to know him very well. I am really looking forward to working with him and his crew in Lusaka because I can only imagine what it will be like if the rest of the staff are like him. From what I've heard so far about the role Stu and I will be playing, it looks like we will be helping to manage some of the local programs that are happening in the area as well as helping to set up a VCT tournament in Lusaka. 'VCT' stands for 'Voluntary Counseling and Testing' and the way that these tournaments work is that it runs like a regular soccer tournament except that instead of getting points just for winning games, participants also get points for taking an HIV test where qualified people are administering the counseling and procedures that go along with an HIV test. We will find out more details soon and will be staying in Cape Town for a few more weeks while our housing situation gets set up in Zambia.

Some of my other fellow field interns are going to be headed to Port Elizabeth, others will be staying in Cape Town, and the others are going to be living in Kimberley (central South Africa) and traveling to many of the DeBeers mining townships (I think there are about 6) where the GRS curriculum is being delivered.

Oh, and one last thing (sorry I know this email is really long already), this past weekend we had a GRS 6v6 soccer tournament and braii (South African bbq) to close up our training with the African GRS trainers who we had all gotten so close with. My team was the Orlando Pirates and we won the whole tournament!! Not only that but I scored 3 game-winning goals including the game-winning goal in the final match! (I'm not gonna lie, they were all pretty nice goals too.) It's pretty crazy, especially for those who know me in the soccer world because I'm a defender, not usually a goal scorer haha. Anyway, because of that I got the 'player of the tournament' award which was really exciting J

Ok, I think that's enough of an update for now. Please write me and let me know how things are going for all of ya'll!

in soccer,
Lena

Libertad Fellow starts internship with Grassroot Soccer in Africa!

Lena Forman (UVM '08) -- volunteer-extraordinaire for Futbol para la Vida (FPV) and Fundacion de Libertad over the last few years -- recently started an internship with Grassroot Soccer in Africa putting to good use her Community Development major at UVM and all of her hard work on FPV (not to mention some great soccer skills!). Lena is one of many UVM grads and Libertad volunteers who have gone on to work with Grassroot Soccer. Below is her first report from the field. Go Lena!

Molo everyone! Hope you're all doing well! Greetings from Cape Town, South Africa! ('Molo' means 'hello' in the South African language Xhosa.) I just wanted to let you all know that I have arrived safely. I've now been here for just about 4 days and it has been great so far.

About 21 hours after I left New York I finally arrived in Cape Town. This city is absolutely beautiful! That's what everyone kept telling me before I left but you really don't believe it until you see it. On one side you have the Atlantic Ocean and many many beaches and on the other side of the city you have Table Mountain and other mountains that you can see rising behind all the buildings. My group and I are staying in the middle of the city for the next 3 weeks at a backpackers/hostel right on one of the main busy street in Cape Town. We are surrounded by so many restaurants and cafes and stores with every kind of food and goods you could ever want or need.

On our first day we started off with something called The Resiliency Race which was almost like the show The Amazing Race. We broke into groups and had to try and complete a bunch of tasks all around the city worth different amounts of points to start to get familiar and comfortable with it. Some things included finding certain buildings or monuments, using a cab or minibus, going above 1000 feet, ask people to teach you certain words in Afrikaan and Xhosa (two of the main languages in South Africa…Xhosa is a click language). We also had to try to get an HIV test or see if we could find a place to. Overall it was a great way of learning our way around the city and finding out what kinds of resources are available to us here. A couple days later we visited the U.S. Consulate where we had a security briefing and got to ask questions about anything we were curious about. After that we drove to Boulder's Beach in Simon's Town and walked along the beach where we got to see penguins!! Who would've thought?!

We also have had a full-day session about eco-shock/culture-shock and things to help us along those lines in the next year. South Africa has such an interesting history and race relations (which I look forward to learning more about). It is so interesting to see how diverse Cape Town is. There are blacks (black Africans), whites (usually Afrikaan from Dutch descendents but also whites who are from British descendents), colored (mixed white and black), Asians, and Indians. I know outside the city this can be very different but I have been really amazed by the look of the city. It has also been really interesting to compare my experiences in West Africa (Ghana, Togo, Benin, and Burkina Faso) to what I have seen here so far. Very little of what I saw in West Africa can be compared to Cape Town. However I know that it has only been a few days and I have been in a very select part of the city and have yet to go out into the townships and other areas which I look forward to doing.

In terms of the rest of the year, we still do not know where each one of us will be placed because the locations are still being finalized. Most of us will be staying somewhere in South Africa (mostly not in Cape Town) but a few will probably be sent to Zambia. We will not find this out, however, until toward the end of our training in 2 weeks. All of us have been so curious and we keep trying to guess what they're going to do with us but we really don't know. My group is really great…all very motivated and interesting people who are passionate about why we are here and also have a great love for soccer.

Well that's the update I have so far. I really just wanted to write to let everyone know that I made it here in one piece and say hi!

Sincerely,
Lena

"Futbol para la Vida" Training of Trainers in Guatemala

Futbol para la Vida (FPV) and Grassroot Soccer (GRS) are collaborating this month with Mercy Corps to conduct a training of new HIV/AIDS educators in Guatemala. The 5-day training will be conducted by Zak Kaufman, FPV co-founder and Director of Research and Advocacy for GRS, and Yanlico Munesi Dusdal, regional coordinator for FPV in the Valverde and Santiago Provinces of the Dominican Republic.

Mercy Corps has previously partnered with Grassroot Soccer to delivered sports-based HIV/AIDS prevention education programs for youth in Liberia and Sudan. This will be their first Spanish-language GRS-inspired program and will support not only an HIV prevention program in Guatemala, but will also result in a new translation of the GRS/FPV coaches manual.

To learn more about Mercy Corps programs on HIV with youth in Guatemala, check out the following video on YouTube:

3rd Annual FPV Program at DREAM Camp

This July marks the third summer that peer educators from our Futbol para la Vida (FPV) program are running an HIV/AIDS prevention education component to the annual Guzman Ariza Summer School and Camp of the Dominican Republic Education and Mentoring (DREAM) Project. This year's peer educators include Milanda and Nico from Batey Libertad, and Fefe from Barrio Saman.

The annual camp is grounded in principles of peace education from the Montessori teaching method, serving 250 youth in the northern coastal town of Cabarete. In this tourist area of the Puerto Plata Province the school drop-out rate is higher than the national average, with an estimated 85% of high school age youth not attending school. Low school participation is one of the main factors contributing to lacking knowledge and inaccurate perceptions about HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases (see blog on FPV research).

The Futbol para la Vida program is modeled after the Grassroot Soccer curriculum, using games, role play, and peer mentors to provide youth with accurate information about HIV/AIDS, prevention strategies, and encourage compassion and caring for the victims of AIDS. FPV programs are run throughout the Valverde and Puerto Plata provinces of the Dominican Republic, with training of trainers run with many partnering non-governmental organizations and local communities.

A newsletter created by camp volunteers and students is available here. For more information on volunteer opportunities or other ways to support the DREAM Project, please see their web page at: http://www.dominicandream.org. Other stories on Futbol para la Vida are available on this blog, as well as general information at: http://www.futbolparalavida.org.

Surgery Needed to Save Negrita's Hearing

Emily (nicknamed Negrita) was 18 months old when Pat and Jon Erickson, faculty members at the University of Vermont, met her. They were leading a UVM course to the Dominican Republic, Emily was busy being almost two. Emily lives in Batey Libertad, a small town located in the lush Cibao valley, populated with Haitian workers, Dominican workers, busy Mom's, farmers, cows, dogs, cats and the occasional student from the United States. The community lacks basic necessities such as consistent health care and stable employment. Emily, now six, has experienced more than her fair share of problems, suffering with severe ear infections for all of her six short years. Through the generosity of people both in the community and in the United States, and with electronic consultations from physicians, (including Dr. Paul Farmer, Dr. Jim Fisk, Dr. Tommy Clark and Dr. Ara Fernandez) Emily is really one of the fortunate. She has had basic health care. However, she needs specialized care to preserve her hearing. Luckily for Emily, Dr. William Brundage heard about her case and has offered to help. Dr. Brundage is Assistant Professor of Surgery and Chair of the Division of Otolaryngology, at the University of Vermont. We hope to bring Emily to Vermont later this fall so she can have the surgery she needs at Fletcher Allen Medical Center. Emily will live and recover with the Erickson's while she is in the United States. Of course, there are many, many children all over the world like Emily. Many people ask us, why this child? We believe it is important to help everyone you can, wherever you can, when you can. Emily, Pat, Jon, and all the many, many wonderful people involved with Batey Libertad simply found each other.

Pat y Jon

To inquire about Emily, or to offer your help, please e-mail Dr. Pat Erickson at Patricia.Erickson@uvm.edu

Dartmouth Alternative Spring Break Trip to Samán

During March 2008, 11 Dartmouth College students and two faculty spent 10 days living and working in Barrio Samán, a predominantly Haitian village in the north-coast town of Monte Llano. Many of the town's inhabitants used to work in sugarcane, but the recent decline of the sugar industry has left many of them without work and struggling to make ends meet. This, the first student trip to Samán, proved an extraordinary success and positive experience both for the community and for the students.

With money raised from two Haitian Art Shows at Dartmouth (the art largely came from painters who live in Samán), the students and community members worked together to build a Community Center and a small Community Park. While Samán has numerous groups and organizations, they have lacked a communal space to come together for meetings. Until now, meetings for the Samán Fútbol Club, the women's group (Mujeres Luchadoras), and the Samán Development Organization (ODS) had all been held outdoors. The Community Center will serve the village for years to come as a space open to all sorts of events - from meetings to informal gatherings to health and education workshops to funerals and birthday parties. The park, meanwhile, provides a communal outdoor space for people to relax and for kids to play. During the trip, students also led HIV prevention and life skills classes for youth in a nearby batey and conducted a health census in Samán.


Building on the trip's success, a group from Dartmouth will be returning in March 2009 to work on the next community projects identified by ODS, and a group from the University of Vermont will be helping to start a community garden in January 2009. This trip truly helped grow the relationship between Dartmouth and Samán, which began in Winter 2007 through the Fútbol Para la Vida program, and created the capacity for other groups to collaborate. The trip was supported by the William Jewett Tucker Foundation.

Essex Soccer Gear Drive to Benefit Batey Libertad Coalition

The Essex United Soccer Club of Vermont, in conjunction with the US Soccer Foundation’s Passback Program, will be holding its second annual gear drive at the Essex United Tournament June 21-22, 2008 at the Tree Farm Sports Complex in Essex to benefit the Batey Libertad Coalition. Roughly 100 soccer teams from Vermont, New York, Canada, and New England will compete. Last year's gear drive resulted in over 1200 pieces of soccer gear, which were distributed in Batey Libertad and surrounding communities.

The Batey Libertad Coalition is an organization of Vermont, Dominican, and Haitian students and soccer players that have been working together since 2003 to support soccer development at Batey Libertad and other batey communities in the Dominican Republic. Soccer has become a vehicle for developing youth leaders in these marginalized communities, to address racial discrimination between Dominicans and Haitians, and to empower kids to combat HIV/AIDS through Futbol para la Vida, an innovative activities-based prevention education program run by peer mentors and modeled after the Grassroot Soccer curriculum.

Visit Essex United at the Tree Farm to see some great youth soccer and stop by the Passback Tent to drop off your new or gently used gear! You can get further tournament information at www.essexunitedsoccer.org.

New FPV graduates from Maizal and Cruce de Esperanza

Over 30 students at the public schools of Cruce de Esperanza and Maizal in the Valverde Province of the Dominican Republic recently graduated from Futbol para la Vida. These schools are both new additions to the growing network of schools, communities, and childrens camps with FPV programs, a Grassroot Soccer inspired HIV/AIDS prevention education project. The courses, each run once a week throughout May by peer educators from Batey Libertad, culminated in graduations on May 30th at Cruce de Esperanza and June 2nd at Maizal. The graduations were planned and run by the children, and included teaching HIV/AIDS facts and prevention strategies, demonstration of FPV activities, and performance of skits to friends, family, and teachers.

Congratulations to our newest FPV graduates from Escuela Cruce de Esperanza -- Yhajaira, Patricia, Fiordaliza, Jonathan, Freilin, Frank, Roneidi, Kintorigo, Natanael, Wilson, Madelin, Greissy, Esthefany, Yudith, Geidy, Jocelyna, Adabelis, and Clarisa -- and from Escuela Maizal -- Genesis, Grisbe, Miguel, Mireliza, Lisbeth, Jeniffer, Isiora, Yamilex, Meralin, María, Griselot, Franchesca, Yaribel, Basilio, and Miguel. And thanks to all of the participating peer educators, including Yanlico, Nico, Ramon, Milanda, and Willy.

RFK Memorial lays out plan to "Move Forward on Statelessness"

A recent report released by the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Center for Human Rights is capitalizing on the winning campaign slogan of "moving forward" by re-elected President Leonel Fernandez. The report entitled "Dominican Republic: Time to Move Forward on Resolving Statelessness" reviews the current situation of legal limbo of hundreds of thousands of men, women, and children being denied citizenship in the Dominican Republic against Dominican law. A growing number of Dominican citizens are under investigation for deportation because of their Haitian ancestry.

In March 2007 the Dominican government issued Circular No. 17, a directive requiring registry offices to investigate any birth certificates that had been issued “irregularly” to children of foreigners “who had not proved their legal residence or status in the Dominican Republic.” In practice this circular is being used to de-nationalize Haitians’ descendants, as registry offices are equating being of Haitian descent with fraud.

These investigations lack due process, and recent experience at Batey Libertad and other communities working within the broad consortium of Fundacion de Libertad confirm the systematic denial of citizenship, for example, the denial of national identification cards (cedulas) to Dominican born and raised young men and women.

The report released by the RFK Memorial outlines recommendations to the Dominican government, the international community, and donor nations, including compliance with the DR's "... international legal obligations ensuring that any document investigation is conducted following due process without retroactive application of the law and avoiding the creation of statelessness."

NY Times highlights recent crackdown on Dominicans of Haitian descent

Off the heals of recent reports of the United Nations and the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Center for Human Rights, the New York Times today published a story entitled "Dominican Crackdown Leaves Children of Haitian Immigrants in Legal Limbo". The article highlights the story of Angel Luis Joseph, a Dominican of Haitian descent who's denial of legal papers by the Dominican government has precluded the possibility of a lucrative baseball contract with the San Fransisco Giants. While Angel's story has received some press due to its plot of rags-to-almost-riches, it echoes an increasingly entrenched denial of legal papers to Dominican children, men, and women born with Haitian names or Haitian skin.