How to fight poverty?
Sport played a major role in my life as a kid. I grew up in a suburb in Northeast Brazil where the choices for doing what is right and what is wrong walked side by side. Soccer was my life and I won my first medal when I was 5 years old. Through the practice of sport I gained resilience, vision and grit to pursue my dreams. I chose to study and become a Marine Biologist and to live in Australia. Now after 13 years of living in Australia and still playing soccer for local clubs, my biggest dream is to fight poverty in Brazil and offer an opportunity for Australian kids to be involved in social projects. I’m inviting families, clubs, schools and businesses to help us connect Developed and Developing countries through kindness and through the passion of sport.
Give Poverty the Boots grew from an idea from one of the young players I coach, Tom Hutch - “what can I do with my old soccer boots?”. Fast forward to my next trip back to Brazil and I was carrying 6 pairs of his old soccer boots, from age 8 to 14 years old. The positive impact of this gesture will last forever in Hutch’s heart, as well as the incredible gift that six kids in Brazil received, encouraging them to keep dreaming about playing professional soccer.
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Wander Godinho
Founder