Soccer Ball Project
DuHope is excited to announce a new line of artisan-produced products: soccer balls! This year, our talented artisans participated in a two-week training on making sturdy soccer balls out of locally sourced products. The training, which typically takes 3-months, was an intensive crash course by the Ambassadors Football International in design and construction of high-quality soccer balls that the artisans will be able to sell through DuHope.
One thing the artisans could all agree on was the level of skill and effort needed to complete the training, especially in a short time. Making soccer balls is truly an artisan skill, requiring attention to detail, patience, and passion for the finished product. The artisans had this to say:
“We heard the training was hard. Our trainer told us it would take 3-months. He said we couldn’t complete the training in 2 weeks, so we were afraid,” Francine said, showing us an example of a half-finished soccer ball with the intricate stitches and thick leather-like material.
“It was hard, but we can work under pressure and we quickly learned how to make them,” said Denise.
“Our trainer told us it would take 3 months, but we told him it would take us less time. He didn’t believe us! The first time, it was difficult, but in the end all of us learned how to do it.” said Betty, smiling as she remembered the interaction.
Towards the end of our conversation, when asked if any of them could play soccer, their eyes lit up. Betty’s smile was the biggest, as she passed us her phone with a video of her soccer footwork.
DuHope continues to empower our artisans with skills that will allow them to become economically self-sufficient. Learning to make these soccer balls is a specialized skill, which they can use to make products that will compete with products already on the market. Beyond learning a new skill, the artisans left the training with a sense of accomplishment.
We are quickly doing the research and development work to be able to launch a new “Made in Rwanda” soccer ball to the local market.