Ball for All was started in 2004, by former Peace Corps volunteers Brad and Jenny Kremer. As volunteers in small villages, they saw the power soccer had in bringing joy to the children. They also saw a lot of development money being wasted and as a result, they wanted to create an organization that would help children more directly. Ball For All is a 501(c)3 non-profit that believes in the power of sport to transform lives. Ball for All empowers Peace Corps volunteers living in African communities to start sport teams for girls to build Africa's next generation of female leaders.
Brad Kremer wrote this about his Peace Corps experience:
"When I lived in southeastern Senegal, these boys came to my family’s compound every single day to play soccer after they had finished their daily chores. Usually they played with a “ball” made of tattered plastic bags wrapped with knotted strips of fabric, grass, and reeds. One day I bought them a cheap rubber ball for about $2 in the local market. That one ball – such a small gift – gave dozens of children many hours of joy. Kids played with that ball for over 2 years, until it literally split in half from overuse. This has served as the inspiration to start Ball for All."
In 2005, Brad went to Senegal looking to set up programs for Ball for All and by chance, met Jeff Chatellier at the Peace Corps office where Jeff told him about a girls’ soccer team he started in his village. Brad asked if Jeff could accompany him to the village. Despite Jeff not wanting to ride 10 hours in a cramped and hot car on poor roads, he agreed as he felt connecting his girls’ soccer team with Ball for All would keep his efforts going.
Through contacts from the village where Jeff lived and worked in as a volunteer, Brad and Jenny Kremer expanded the sports program in the Toubacouta school district. The following year, Jeff took over the reigns of Ball for All and continues to run the organization on a volunteer basis. Girls playing sports in Africa is not a common sight. Ball for All wants to change this. Ball For All connects African communities to donors across the world who believe all girls deserve the right to play.
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Source: http://www.ballforall.org/
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