More than football

During the following weeks it does not matter if you are a girl or a boy, if you are a child or an adult, if you live in Tanzania or Canada. We all share a common passion these days: the World Cup. You can't avoid it, it is in every corner.

Football, players, coaches, money, transfer, winners, losers, surprises... We adapt our life depending on the schedule of the World Cup. Can we meet on Thursday? Let me see who will play on Thursday, even if it is not our National Team it might be a team that you like because you previously lived there, because you have friends from there, because some of the players play in your favourite team or because it is a good match and you can't miss it. There are lot of reasons to watch, talk and dream about football these days.

We know that football has different meanings, that football can be a powerful tool to fight social injustices. There are lot of different projects run by organisations to tackle social issues. For many people around the world “football” plays a key part in their daily life, a reason to believe, to escape for what it is happening in their house, a field or a place to make friends and build a different kind of family, a family that you choose.

One of the most disadvantaged communities are the homeless, you can see them every day in your street but you get used to them and there is a moment that you don't care anymore as it becomes something normal. You can have your reasons but sometimes people can't forget about them. Some people have come to this world with a different mind, to see problems and to be part of the solution because it is not about you being homeless it is about you as an individual. A person with a unique story, a human being with their strengths and weaknesses.

I believe that these people have the ability to empathise and not to judge others for what they have done in their past. These people also have the motivation to make a difference in the lives of one of the most forgotten communities in the world.

A few days ago I listened to a conversation between one of the most amazing guys that I have ever met, Reed Fox. You can listen here. He speaks about the Homeless World Cup Foundation which supports a network of 74 local grassroots projects around the world. While we are most famous for organising and delivering the Homeless World Cup annual tournament, we also aim to support and develop grassroots projects that utilise football as a tool for social change.

He is a believer.

#responsibletravel #homelessworldcup #soccer #football #volunteer #Sportdevelopment #SocialImpact