Project Launch:

A $325 grant from World Connect’s Kids to Kids program led to the formation of a young women’s soccer team in Mazala, El Salvador in 2009. The goal of the grant was to get the young women of the community active and interested in sports, but the team also helped to unify the community. Parents, kids and other community members come out to show support for the team. One girl who was chosen as the captain of the team is an emerging leader, gaining skills in leadership by being captain of the team and inspiring others to play. This girl comes from a traditional family who supported her desire to play sports and her story inspired other girls in similar family situations to express their desire to play. Young leaders are sometimes rarely seen or given an opportunity to emerge in rural communities where the opinions of kids are not always valued.