The Martlet

One Victoria organization is creating change abroad — with soccer.

“We really believe that anyone out there can make a significant impact in our world,” said Gavin Hollett, chief executive officer of Opportunitas Aequa and recent UVic grad.

Since 2007, Hollett has run Opportunitas Aequa with a simple mission statement: soccer. Opportunitas Aequa is Latin for “equal opportunity,” and embodies the group’s belief that everyone should have access to soccer equipment.

In January 2007, six members of Opportunitas Aequa set up near the base camp of Mount Chimborazo in Ecuador and began building a soccer field. By the time they were done, they had delivered 1,350 balls, 850 pairs of cleats and running shoes, and $20,000 worth of school uniforms.

Through the construction and re-construction of local soccer fields, and the distribution of their equipment, US$12,000 was brought into the local economy.

While in Ecuador, members of Opportunitas Aequa met a young boy named Medardo.

“He was an awesome kid — he just had so much joy,” said Duncan Penn, senior executive of Opportunitas Aequa. “We’d come back after a long day, exhausted, drained, frustrated. He was always so smiley. He just inspired us with his goofiness.

“He told us he was going to be a professional soccer player. He could play with a ball for hours, or he’d want to watch movies on our laptops. He reminded us why we were doing this.”

Just over a year after their first trip, Opportunitas Aequa is expanding to include projects in Rwanda, Uganda, and Tanzania — not to mention Victoria, where they run free soccer camps for children.

On March 28, two members of Opportunitas Aequa are leaving for Rwanda, where they plan to make local contacts and pave the way for a trip in summer 2009.

“We’re going to scope out areas to build fields, meet with organizations in Rwanda, and figure out the best way to apply our resources to locally established groups,” said Hollett. “We’re hoping to help out the people already on the ground over there.”

Opportunitas Aequa was inspired by a passage in Roméo Dallaire’s book Shake Hands with the Devil, where he observes a small group of children in a refugee camp playing with a clumped ball of dirt and twigs. Daillaire was the Canadian who commanded United Nations’ troops in Rwanda.

“Amidst the chaos and horror in Rwanda, these kids were having an awesome time,” said Hollet. “We try to keep coming back to that image.”

Opportunitas Aequa is now working toward being registered as a federal charity. Currently they are a non-profit organization and rely on volunteers.

“We’re always looking for volunteers. Here [in Victoria], or overseas,” said Hollett.

They have started a flourishing online community with a Facebook group, a website, regular podcasts, and films about their projects.

“We want to show our donors in a really tangible way, what they’re contributing,” said Penn. “Someone donates a soccer ball, they can see a video of kid playing with it.”

Their videos feature upbeat music and hopeful scenes of happy children.

“A lot of the media you see coming out of these countries is gloomy,” said Penn. “We want to show people that there is hope, and there are interesting solutions to the world’s problems.”

For more information on Opportunitas Aequa, check out www.oaprojects.org.