July 2010 - The Boys' Brigade

Pastor Alan Stevens had just returned
from a fact finding and teaching trip
to Southern India
79th
Belfast
takes
soccer
to
India
96 The Boys’ Brigade Gazette July 2010
While there he had visited the
Boys Haven Orphanage near
the village of Paippad, Kerala
State and thought that the Belfast
Battalion Grassroots Development
Soccer School, also known as
the 79th B4Sport Soccer School
concept, would be of great benefit
to the boys in the home. My initial
reaction was “I can’t afford the
time or money to go to India!”
Having established and managed
a grassroots soccer development
programme in Belfast for the boys in
my Company and the Battalion aged 6-16 over the past six years, I suppose
the connection was obvious to him and the more I thought about this challenge
the more the idea started to take hold.
So by the end of the Summer and six months of fundraising I was ready to run
the first soccer school at the Boys Haven during February this year. Thanks to the
generosity of friends and colleagues the trip was funded and I was able to take a
fully equipped soccer school to Paippad complete with balls, goal nets, bibs and all
the training gear associated with such an enterprise. Thanks to help from the airlines
I even managed to get it all there free of charge – a total of around 50 kilos in kit!
The boys at the orphanage have next to no possessions – a bed, a Bible, a cup,
and a plate, the clothes they stand up in and a Sunday outfit. Yet they are the lucky
ones. There are some estimated 20 million orphaned or homeless Indian children.
The 80 boys at Paippad are well fed, have a safe and loving environment to grow
up in a well run home and are provided with an education through the New India
Evangelistic Association, which runs the establishment and funds their schooling.
From donations of unwanted kids soccer kits, we were able to give each boy
a replica kit and the look on their faces just had to be seen to be believed. Their
excitement reached ‘ballistic’ levels when we produced the football equipment.
The week of coaching in 30 degree temperatures concluded with a world cup
tournament among the various age groups.
Our mission there was a simple brief – to take some excitement and enhance
the quality of their lives by playing football and teaching them English through
Bible classes along the way. Hopefully, a lasting relationship with the Orphanage
was established that will open doors to further development opportunities in the
years ahead. NIEA run 20 boys’ and girls’ orphanages across India, caring for
around 850 kids at present.
The experience enriched my life in many ways and as a result I would like to help
to provide further help to Paippad, short term and long term. It would be great to set
up an education bursary to support young people who wish to take further education
in the neighbouring New India
Bible Seminary when they reach
15 years of age. Through this
excellent institution NIEA train
up young people to work as
evangelists throughout India
and neighbouring countries.
My heartfelt thanks go to the
generosity and compassion of
all my colleagues and friends
in Belfast Battalion who
supported this project.
Eamonn McCoy
79th Belfast