HAITIAN KIDS FOOTBALL ON HBO 11th Aug. (fwd)

I was channel hopping last nite on TeleHaiti (cable) and I caught the last 20 minutes of a program on HBO about Robert Duvall and his wonderful program with kids teaching them soccer here in Haiti - mainly from what I gathered, children from Cite soleil. He was born and raised in an upper class family and was a soccer player in ?Prep School and then was imprisoned and tortured for his beliefs under the Duvaliers. When he got out he decided to commit his life to helping kids learn football. He found this waste ground which over 3 yrs he had transformed into football playing fields and also basketball courts - the latter for girls and boys, and he now has 300 kids in his program. He's now divorced because of his work and he is totally committed to helping with this program. He not only coaches them but feeds them once a day and gets them some education. He relies on his elite friends to supply him with money (I believe he said he needed US$16,000 a month to run the program) and also to help with food and other stuff. His friend Stefan Coles (who I believe owned Aquafine Water co.) helped him out with money and also water. He said his friends don't yet believe in the program but they believe in him.

Bobby Duvall said like all Haitians, he was inspired when Haiti got into the World cup and played against Italy and scored a goal, and he said he thought that Football was one area where Haiti could show itself to the rest of the world as having something of value.

It was a great program, something really positive about Haiti. It was on the Bryant Gumbel Sports program and it was Frank something who reported it. I'm sorry I'm vague but I only tuned into the last 20 minutes and didn't get all the opening creds. Bryant G asked Frank if he thought Bobby Duvall was a saint, but Frank said that he felt he was saintly, but a human being above all. And Frank said in all the 67-8 countries he'd been to he had never seen one so sad and needy as Haiti, and recently things had got even worse. But he did say that this one soccer program was like a spark in the dark!!