HotFutbol (HF) is a private nonprofit 501©3 organization dedicated to bringing organized soccer and sports to urban communities in Haiti with a parallel emphasis on community development and sustainability. Using sports as a medium to address community needs provides both the opportunity for play and the chance for children to develop skills of communication, leadership, and goal setting, which in
turn has the potential to bring together all community members to foster civic engagement. Since 2007, HF has conducted coaching seminars for several hundred Haitian coaches with nationally and internationally certified coaches and provided professional level player training and equipment for youth teams, amputee teams, and teams throughout Port au Prince, St. We have facilitated cross cultural exchanges between soccer teams in the U.S. During trainings we have offered health clinics and first aid training for coaches. Teaming with Sanneh Foundation to create the Haitian Initiative, our collaboration provides for greater expertise, expanded network of contacts, and increased number of player and coach training sessions. HF is presently working in collaboration with community members invested in increasing the effectiveness of Park Izmery in the Delmas 33 zone through the development of infrastructure, operational management and programming at the Park. Park Izmery is dedicated to the memory of the late Antoine and George Izmery, two brothers committed to the welfare of the poor and principles of Haitian democracy. We believe that collaborative effort will allow for the realization of the park’s full potential as a space open to everyone in the community and where all are welcome. In January of 2013, HF started an after-school soccer program at the Park, which is open and available to all children regardless of their skill level, economic situation, or gender. All players must be enrolled in school and pass each of their courses to remain in the program. Though the program is free to children, both children and parents are expected to contribute to the program through a variety of ways including helping with the field maintenance, community service activities, and maintaining program equipment and uniforms. As community stewards all players must adhere to a code of conduct both on and off the field allowing them to serve as examples for other children in the community as well as in their schools and places of worship. Our long-term commitment to Haiti has facilitated a series of strategic partnerships with NGOs working in the Delmas 33 neighborhood. Feed My Starving Children provides food for the children each day. SOIL (Sustainable Organic Integrated Livelihoods) is collaborating with HF to establish an educational community garden and maintain the composting toilets located on the field. Pure Water for the World has installed a water filtration system so players can have clean drinking water during practice. Playmakers from Life Is Good provided training for our coaches focusing on psychosocial development and the power of play to build relationships. The in-country director of HF, Ricardo Balmir, has worked and lived in the Delmas 33 neighborhood for the past 10 years. Ricardo brings with him years of experience serving as a liaison between U.S and Haitian organizations, managing personnel, and is himself an avid futbol player. He is responsible for managing the program and staff, collaborating with civic and community leaders, and educating the public about the use of sport as a tool to achieve community and individual social and emotional development. Additionally, there are four coaches and three assistant coaches, a physiotherapist, English teacher, and cook, working with the children in the after-school program,
Infrastructure growth has included installing full size basketball court and small playground. In the future we plan to install solar power to operate the water pump and provide lighting for the park, and possibly install artificial turf, all to create a safer and more usable space for the community. Using futbol as a medium to strengthen community will provide opportunity for grassroots participation, leadership training, and economic revitalization, as well as the space for children to develop skills of communication and discipline through team effort and play. As the planet’s most beloved and widely played sport, soccer offers a powerful way to foster community development and individual growth.
