The Success of the Soccer Ball Drive

Greetings, readers, and here is a long overdue Soccer Ball update. I am sure that you all are eagerly awaiting some feedback on all your time and effort in getting the balls shipped and donated.

At this point, over 200 soccer balls, various pumps, and several dozen shin guards and a tremendous amount of goodwill have been distributed to the following nations: Djibouti, Tanzania, Kenya, Comoros, Ethiopia, and Uganda. The generosity and time that you folks have contributed to the Soccer Drive have made this effort a smashing success. Giving out the soccer balls may seem like a small thing, but this is the sort of good will that will lead to feelings of good will towards the United States and our people. The balls given out during this drive represent a tremendous gift to the people living in the nations of the Horn of Africa by helping us out with this mission, YOU, the reader, has contributed DIRECTLY to the war effort by providing the donations for this Soccer Ball Drive.

The following pictures were taken by a Civil Affairs /VETCP team who were in Uganda for the entire month of January. During their assistance visit there, these folks treated something on the order of 30,000 head of cattle, and vaccinated countless goats, cats, dogs and even a few monkeys. Oh, and they also managed to give out a few soccer balls. The team went to over twenty different villages in northern Uganda, villages that are technically refugee camps left over from Uganda’s civil unrest of the early 80’s. In some areas, these camps hold as many 100,000 people.

The Kids from the Ugandan Village of Olwiyo with a couple of the VETCAP security guys.

The Kids with their new soccer ball and one of the Vets at the Ugandan Village of Abili. Often, it was necessary to give the ball to the village elder (standing next to the vet) to prevent a “ruckus”.