FUNDaFIELD

At the 2006 World Cup in Germany, teenage brothers Kyle and Garrett Weiss learned about the true importance of soccer to African youth after speaking with African soccer fans. They realized that soccer was more than just a fun game but actually helped build trust and community in war-torn and impoverished areas. Inspired, they went home to Danville, Calif. and started FUNDaFIELD, a nonprofit dedicated to enriching the lives of less fortunate youth in Africa through building soccer fields and providing equipment to African schools.

Kyle and Garrett, now 17 and 19 years old, have provided the leadership to establish FUNDaFIELD clubs on high school and college campuses. To date, they’ve raised funds to build 2 soccer fields in South Africa, 2 in Kenya, and 1 in Uganda. They’re near completion of 2 more fields in Uganda and raising funds for field number 8!

Next July, FUNDaFIELD team members, led by Kyle and Garrett, will be part of “Steps over Swaziland” (SOS) a campaign to bring awareness and support to the people of Swaziland. The Weiss brothers will be dribbling One World Futbol soccer balls across Swaziland and will distribute the balls to schools, orphanages and coaches along the way. FUNDaFIELD will also build a soccer field at El Shaddai orphanage and will work with Coaches Across Continents to teach HIV/AIDS awareness to kids through soccer. According to UNICEF, Swaziland has the dubious distinction of having the highest percentage of HIV-positive people in the world.

The One World Futbol Project is working closely with FUNDaFIELD. Kyle Weiss took 12 One World Futbols to Swaziland in July 2010, and he and Garrett are taking 24 more to Uganda late in December 2010. More than 200 additional futbols are scheduled for distribution in Swaziland during the summer 2011 SOS project.