Dear Ball for All Supporters,

Lindsay Cotten, a current Peace Corps volunteer in Senegal, wrote this letter describing the impact of her work promoting girls' soccer in Africa.

As I began packing for my two years of service as a Peace Corps volunteer in Senegal, I knew adding a soccer ball to the list would be necessary. Growing up, soccer had a major positive influence on my life. Within the first week at my village of Salemata, the children approached me to play with them using a ball they had made out of plastic bags and string. I knew that now was the time to introduce them to my new ball. Within the first 5 minutes of bringing it out into my compound, there were at least 20 children surrounding me, wanting an opportunity to play with the new ball. As the number continued to increase, I suggested that we go to the soccer field to play a game. The teenagers got priority of the field, so we played off to the side using sandals as goals. We decided to divide the teams into boys versus girls. The girls were hesitant to play against the boys at first but I encouraged them we would hold our own. Every afternoon for the next couple of months the children would come to my hut and we would go out to the field and play. We played until my ball was no longer usable. When I heard about the organization Ball for All, I contacted them immediately. Soon I had uniforms and balls for each member of my girls’ and boys’ teams. Our first game was a huge success. A large number of villagers came to watch as the girls held their own against the boys. After the game, the girls all jogged through the market, cheering and singing. Since the first game, there have been 4 more teams that have organized themselves throughout the village, with games a couple of times a week. Before each game, the girls all meet at my hut and cheer together down to the field. At least one teammate will stop by my hut each day and ask when the next game is. I have noticed the girls’ confidence rise since the beginning of the season. They no longer sit back in silence when the boys or older villagers tell them girls cannot play soccer. They stand up for themselves and are proud to be playing on a girls’ soccer team. One year into my service, my favorite project has been my soccer teams. I look forward to what the next year will bring and creating more teams in surrounding villages.

-Lindsay Cotten