For the past month and a half, I have helped organize and run a youth soccer league here in Lusaka. If you click on this article taken from The Post, Zambia's leading newspaper, you'll find a pretty good description of what the league is all about. And if you look closely you might even find a picture of me in the photo collage. But I'll summarize briefly what the league is all about. Fifteen teems from around Lusaka, most of whom are affliated with orphanages and drop-in centers for street children, compete in the league. Every Saturday morning, the competition begins at 9:00 at the Italian Club, a soccer facility boasting a state-of-the-art 5v5 turf field. Teams have the opportunity to play the game they love on a really nice pitch and then take part in the Grassroot Soccer program. Essentially each child gets to have fun on the pitch and off the pitch as they learn about HIV/AIDS prevention.

The Kidsafe League is the brainchild of Luka Moens, an incredible organizer and a good friend. Luka had the idea to get the private sector involved in creating this opportunity for children that they never would have had otherwise. It has worked marvelously. The league has garnered a lot of media attention from newspapers and television and rightfully so. I am so proud to be a part of it!

This past Saturday we were able to hold a Christmas party after league play. With the help of sponsors we were able to feed 200 kids, entertain them with a local theater group and give everyone a gift. We secured a large amount of Nike gear from the organization RAPIDS which means that every player in the league will now have their own brand new uniform. That's not a bad Christmas present.