Okada, Chiaki

English

Osaka University Knowledge Archive

Initiatives aimed at reducing poverty with sport: A case in Zimbabwe

The Homeless World Cup (HWC) is an international futsal event in which only homeless people can participate. Annually, more than 500 men and women players are sent by national partners from over 60 countries. These national partners conduct activities in each country to select their members. Youth Achievement Sports for Development (YASD) is a Zimbabwean organization established in 2011, which aims to support disadvantaged and impoverished children and youth in the Hatcliffe suburb of the capital city, Harare. The author conducted semi-structured interviews with 12 people related to YASD mainly in English (the local language “Shona” was also used). The interviews were held in February 2017, with an average time of 45 minutes per interview. Prior to the fieldwork in Harare, two interviews were conducted with the president of YASD in August 2015 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and July 2016 in Glasgow, Scotland, venues of the HWC. The key themes of all interviews were 1) YASD activities; 2) YASD football activities; 3) opinions on football activities; 4) living situation in Hatcliffe; and 5) HWC, poverty reduction, and life after the HWC. Based on our conversations with the interviewees, the author noticed several outcomes and contributions of YASD futsal activities and also re-realized the severe living situation and tough social issues requiring continued efforts for the Hatcliffe youth such as the forced early marriages of girls, the drug and alcohol abuse, and the spread of HIV/AIDS. The YASD activities contributed to helping people forget the stark realities of their lives, bonded people in their small communities, and created opportunities for people to build self-confidence. Although it is difficult and takes time to combat poverty and related issues, YASD develops youth in Hatcliffe so that they can be motivated to empower themselves to address their issues

https://ir.library.osaka-u.ac.jp/repo/ouka/all/71744/ohs_05_021.pdf

Initiatives aimed at reducing poverty with sport: A case in Zimbabwe

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Osaka University Knowledge Archive

Osaka University Knowledge Archive