For some reason I find myself in South Africa with my Ball Project partner from Nigeria. One story he shared with me really makes this feel worthwhile.

He was someplace where a bunch of children were playing & one girl was standing off to the side by herself just watching. He went up to her & asked why she was not playing with the other children. She replied that she did not really know how to play. He asked how this could possibly be true. She said that there was never any time at home to play & at school they had nothing to really play with.

He asked her where she went to school & where she lived & then they stopped talking.

When Ball Project sent $500US to Nigeria in June 2010, our partner there took 5 balls & traveled quite a ways from where he lives in Kanu & gave them to the headmaster of the girl’s school. This was the most balls that he gave anyone from the 20 that he was able to buy.

Our partner shared with the headmaster how he had met the girl & heard about the school. The headmaster was shocked because in the 12 years that she had been at the school, no one had ever given the school anything. Our partner asked that at least 3 of the 5 soccer balls be given exclusively to the girls.

The headmaster called an all school convocation & brought the girl up front to thank her for what she had done & accomplished.

Many thanks to our Ball Project Nigeria partner & many thanks to our donors for helping children play in secondary schools in Nigeria & around the world.