The Giver Gets.

A few years ago, I had the pleasure to help children in Africa. A small gesture that brought many happy smiles to many young children less fortunate. I am hoping this will bring awareness to how giving just a little, makes all the difference in other peoples lives. Sometimes, it can actually be life changing. Please read below the email that was sent to everyone who donated. There is a link at the end of the email to where you can donate or get involved.

Some background information to how I got involved: my eldest son and I were on a track practicing for his soccer. My son at that time played at the highest level in Ontario and practiced with his team 6 days a week. While my son was practicing his sprinting, I noticed a gentleman wearing a t-shirt that said Swaziland. Me being me, I of course introduced myself and asked what his shirt meant. He told me he was a pastor at a local church, and they organize fundraising for a small country called Swaziland in Africa. He explained that they find donations for books to donate to the local schools and villages in Swaziland, Africa. he told me all the stories about how children would walk for 10 miles each way just for the chance to read a book. That many young girls would risk their lives to do this. I asked "risked their lives"? In what way? He explained that in Africa many men believe a myth. That if you have AIDS and you have sex with a child, it would cure their AIDS. Any person who has been educated knows this is not true. Many girls will be raped just to walk to school, or literally, just for the chance to own or read a book. I was mesmerized by his stories and knew right then somehow I wanted to help. I said "I bet kids in Africa would love to have a soccer ball and or soccer equipment". He said "yes they would love that". He then explained to me that most children had never even seen a real soccer ball. That they use twine to tie plastic bags together to make a soccer ball. I said "I know so many children that just throw away their barely used soccer shoes and equipment". I decided that I would ask as many contacts I knew in the soccer community to donate any equipment or shoes (new or used). The generosity was over whelming. Parents brought all their used equipment, stores donated new items and soon enough there was an entire shipping container filled with soccer shoes, clothes and equipment to be shipped to Africa and handed out to all the children.

The following email was sent from Margaret Stahbaum, the head organizer, to all the soccer clubs and stores that helped make a difference in these children's lives.

?In 2009, my son, daughter and I went to Swaziland, Africa with 18 other people to work at a rural school in the village of Bhalekane.?While in Bhalekane, my son, Campbell, 14 years old at the time, was trying to organize a game of soccer.?He asked the Head Master for a soccer ball.?The Head Master passed Campbell a plastic grocery bag and told him to fill it with some garbage and tie it off.?

The next day we brought with some soccer balls with us to the school that we had had donated to us.?The kids swarmed Campbell when they saw a real soccer ball.?The kids were absolutely excited to be able to play.?We left those six soccer balls with that school at the end of our trip.?Out of that trip came a request to help Bhalekane with books for their school of 760 students.?We packed a 20 foot container full of school supplies, books, desks, chairs and about 20 soccer balls.?That was in 2011.?That year, we established 17 libraries and gave another 30 schools a few hundred books with the promise that we`d get them books the following year.?During one of the Library training sessions, in northern Swaziland in a mountainous village called Matfuseni, Campbell once again started talking to one of the teachers about sports.?This teacher told Campbell that his students loved to play soccer and that he took them 5 km down the hill to a high school to play because they had soccer balls.?When we pulled a garbage bag full of soccer balls out of our van to give to the teacher, the children squealed with delight and the teacher was overwhelmed with gratitude.?At each of the schools we would do training at, we would drop off at least two soccer balls.

One of the obvious things with most developing countries is the lack of proper footwear and clothing.?Many children had some sort of footwear however, the footwear was usually ill-fitting.?For those playing soccer, they seldom had shoes at all.?The plastic ties or laces that would hold on the sole of a shoe (sides, toe and heel missing) would fly off when they ran or kicked the ball.?I have shared this story with Jodi and she has started a drive to assist in this.?These children are very skilled in many areas academically and sports-wise, however, lack the things to help them succeed.?Our hope is that through rural schools getting books, children will pass the country`s mandatory Grade 7 testing and will head to highschool and post-secondary education.?They want to learn but lack what is needed.?We had proof of that success in 2012 when we delivered more books to a very large rural school (970 students) and the Head Master relayed a story.?He could barely contain his excitement.?One of his students in this rural village that never had much success academically?had one of his Grade 7 students, a girl, achieve the top ten students academically that year.?He attributed it to the teachers and students having access to teach with actual books rather than teaching from memory.?We know that books are making a difference.

One more thing we have learned is that each child, in any country, needs a chance.?Some kids will never be high academic students but they`ll have skills in sports.?Soccer is a sport there that students embrace and love to play.?What?a gift Jodi has thought of by collecting soccer shoes, shirts and kits for students.?Can you imagine some day a child getting to a national level because of the generosity of Canadians??I have put the word out to a couple of the rural schools that I know have had a desire to give their students a chance at getting on soccer leagues.?They need the equipment.?Swaziland has the highest HIV/AIDS rate in the entire world.?Many of these students are double orphans - both parents are dead and are being raised by grandmothers.?We have a container going to Swaziland mid to end of May.?We have a great opportunity to give children hope - hope for a better future.?

If you'd like more information on the library project, please visit?www.booksinhands.com?

Thanks!

- marg stahlbaum?

Being a sales director, I have always believed that the reward isn't in receiving, it really is in the giving. This experience proves that. As much as that container was filled to the top with soccer equipment, my heart was filled 1000 times more with love after being involved in such a wonderful charity. The giver really does get...rewarded with a heart filled with warmth that lasts a lifetime.