The link above provides the description for a soccer stadium/community center in Kimisagara, Rwanda. This project is part of FIFA's larger Football for Hope campaign which broadly aims to provide health, educational, and economic opportunities for disadvantaged youth especially but to the community as whole through the context of sport. The Kimisagara pitch is located on the the campus of a primary school, and in addition to offering a space to play soccer/football in both an organized and unorganized fashion, the space offers classes on healthcare and other issues, a library, a healthcare center, and a space for microcredit and other informal economic activities. As such, the program has a clear social and economic development focus.
Admittedly, Football for Hope does not have a strict environmental focus, but the movement emphasizes sustainable development and constructs facilities in a manner to minimize environmental impact. The Kimisagara stadium, for instance, was constructed largely with local materials, minimizing transportation costs (both monetary and environmental); has a rainwater collection system to provide water for the facility; has planted trees throughout the facility; and is constructed in a manner to make it so air conditioning is unnecessary. Another Football for Hope facility being constructed in Nairobi, Kenya uses power generated by wind turbines and includes a community garden. These projects represent the type of sustainable development that allows underdeveloped countries the opportunity to develop without having the same detrimental impact that traditional development/industrialization has had.
Football for Hope, fittingly, gives me hope because it addresses a number of developmental issues including economic initiatives as well as education. Further, it centers around sports, which I love, and is a fantastic example of corporate social responsibility. As an aside, this type of project is the reason why I objected to the absolute anti-corporate stance of the "Story of Stuff" video that we watched in class a while back. Large corporations such as FIFA have enormous potential and the financial resources to engage in sustainable development. A major issue with many development projects is that they are not sustainable due to financial constraints. Football for Hope, because it is bankrolled by FIFA, is more likely to avoid this problem.
Admittedly, Football for Hope does not have a strict environmental focus, but the movement emphasizes sustainable development and constructs facilities in a manner to minimize environmental impact. The Kimisagara stadium, for instance, was constructed largely with local materials, minimizing transportation costs (both monetary and environmental); has a rainwater collection system to provide water for the facility; has planted trees throughout the facility; and is constructed in a manner to make it so air conditioning is unnecessary. Another Football for Hope facility being constructed in Nairobi, Kenya uses power generated by wind turbines and includes a community garden. These projects represent the type of sustainable development that allows underdeveloped countries the opportunity to develop without having the same detrimental impact that traditional development/industrialization has had.
Football for Hope, fittingly, gives me hope because it addresses a number of developmental issues including economic initiatives as well as education. Further, it centers around sports, which I love, and is a fantastic example of corporate social responsibility. As an aside, this type of project is the reason why I objected to the absolute anti-corporate stance of the "Story of Stuff" video that we watched in class a while back. Large corporations such as FIFA have enormous potential and the financial resources to engage in sustainable development. A major issue with many development projects is that they are not sustainable due to financial constraints. Football for Hope, because it is bankrolled by FIFA, is more likely to avoid this problem.
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