OK, so on espresso’s Le Mondial 2010 blog, you can find a bunch of guys and one girl’s opinion on the World Cup, and now here are my two cents on the sport—with a slightly more philanthropic slant. To be precise, here are my thoughts on soccer as a humanitarian project. Frankly I’ve never been that big into soccer; I’m more of a hockey fan but when I was in Mali, RSD—or even ice rinks for that matter—were unheard of. Forced to do as the Romans do, I tried (in vain!) to get into their sport: soccer. Even if it wasn’t my bag, there was no avoiding it. When the Mali Eagles were in town, traffic in Bamako came to a standstill (much to my despair!) and the rapturous crowd poured into the streets.

In Africa, soccer is more than a sport; it’s a religion. I figured that out the minute I set foot on the continent. What really got me though—aside from the smiles on everyone’s faces of course—was that soccer was everywhere! No joke. Children were laughing, running all over the place, kicking around any old thing. Adios Maurice Richard, hello Ronaldo! No sign of Game Boy, Wiis, or any other battery-powered gadgets.

The kids who play soccer aren’t rich, poor, black, or white—they’re just kids. No more, no less. And unless a flock of tourists turns up with old soccer balls, the kids make do with what they have. They make balls out of odd ends of rope, old plastic bags, and even hardened cow dung—so long as it rolls!

And when the world looks grim—when war breaks out or nature unleashes its wrath—that’s when soccer becomes really important. It helps  the locals take their minds off the harsh times. Unfortunately, humanitarian organizations such as Oxfam and Red Cross (my apologies to all the others but what can I do, I have a soft spot for these two), already have their hands full; between taking care of people, distributing food, water, and survival kits, they can’t really be expected to give out soccer balls as well! Not to mention that balls take up a lot of space.

However, a Korean design agency came up with a very clever solution: creating packaging for these aid boxes that can be turned into . . .  balls. Oh yes! Simply pull on the tabs and weave to assemble. It’s just brilliant: a way for family to get a ball without requiring any extra space in humanitarian convoys.

So when exactly will this amazing concept become reality? For the sake of all those kids, I sure hope its sooner than later! Who knows, maybe Right to Play—an organization dedicated to sports and games in developing countries—would be interested in this project.