Soccer in Rural Madagascar
Sometimes we get a picture that is just great. Assisting and encouraging people to work together, be it building a water system, a school or plant trees as a community wide effort is at the heart of participatory development. Soccer has long been the favorite sport and past time in Madagascar as well as in our villages. Zahana has supported the women’s soccer teams in Fiadanana and Fiarenana since 2006. Sponsorship is very practical and immediate: Zahana buys the soccer balls, the air pump, the uniforms and, as in this picture, the soccer shoes. Having a clean and snazzy uniform for their team is a source of great pride, especially for people who may not own many clothes in the first place.