The Kick Project

Well, the news hounds at The Kick Project have been out of the loop a little lately. But, after a break, Caught Our Eye is back. FIFA Presidential Race Gets Ever Murkier PROGRAM INFO Gaza: One Woman's Plea for Gaza to be Noticed Gaza:Children Forced to Work to Help Broken Families Rohingya in Malaysia: New Book Gives Children's View of Persecution REFUGEES Germany Calls for More EU Intakes as Refugee Influx Balloons-Critics Consider Walls FOOTBALL FOR PEACE US Tournament Brings Young People Together, Including Those from Areas of Conflict

One year on from the escalation of violence in Gaza and things are still looking very sour.  A news quote from Save the Children CEO Paul Ronalds is pertinent: "Save the Children is urging Australia and other nations to use their diplomatic influence to promote the lifting of the blockade to allow the entry of essential humanitarian aid and enable the rebuilding of homes and schools, and support a return to some level of normality for the many distressed children in Gaza.” The Kick Project is still working hard to take a program to Gaza. But, these plans have been re-scheduled for various reasons. Mainly, the program has proved to be a little more complicated than we had anticipated and we have re-focussed on plans for our Rohingya program in Malaysia. We feel that at this early stage of our development as a not for profit organisation we need to build more critical mass in our funding and our management infrastructure before launching into Gaza. We are wary of wast...

Pic: latestonsports.com This week, with the Women's World Cup reaching the pointy end, some insights into women and football, and sport in general.* And, finally, a comment on the Palestine v Israel dispute at the latest FIFA Congress. Sport and Women Girls Tackle Stereotypes (And Each Other) in US Football League How FIFA Discriminates Against the Women's World Cup (possibly for the better...) Is Women in Sport a Feminist Issue? Pic: Zimbio.com Women's Star May Have Violent Past Female EPL Club Owner Shows Men How its Done Culture Must Change for Women's Game Prejudice Still Exists Norway's Team Takes a Shot at Detractors....By Laughing at Them Power of Sport This Young Girl Collapses Every Race, But She Keeps Racing Comment: On May 29, The FIFA Congress saw the culmination in the campaign by the Palestinian Football Federation to give the Israeli federation the red card, by kicking them out of FIFA on charges of player discrim...

Pic:Motortradesindustry.co.uk Recently, I (James) was asked by Ray Gill, editor of The Daily Review, to write up a piece on The Kick Project, what it's about, and why anybody should be interested. Here's what I wrote .

Pic: Vibe Celebrity and Aid US Criticised over Celebrity Aid Visit to Haiti Peace Bitter Enemies Reconcile in Ireland PR US Coal Company Using Ebola Crisis as PR Tool Gaza Project The Children of Gaza Need More than Aid  (Our article for Crikey) Pic: Daily Telegraph Sport and Development The Power of Footy in Fiji Migration Australian Town Shows How Migration Works NGOs Govt Seeks to Punish Greenpeace for Reef Ad Campaign Crackdowns on NGOs Across Asia Are Human Rights NGOs "Too Establishment"?

Here's some of the news that got our attention recently: BORDERS AND PEOPLE: ANOTHER CELEB PITCHES IN TO HELP REFUGEES Pic: wallruru.com CRITIQUE OF ASYLUM SEEKER TREATMENT IN AUSTRALIA SOME SAY EU SHOULD EMULATE AUSTRALIA'S MODEL OTHERS ARGUE EU SHOULD DISMANTLE "VIRTUAL BORDERS" AND MAKE TRAVEL EASIER (COMMENT) Pic: urbantimes.co GAZA PROJECT: GAZA CHILDREN IN CRISIS INTERACTIVE MAP OF THE DESTRUCTION IN GAZA WELFARE OF CHILDREN: BOKO HARAM CAUSING HAVOC FOR CHILDREN SOCCER AND DEVELOPMENT: NEW PORTAL FOR PEACE AND SPORT EVENTS

Mark Bulpitt, Head of World Vision's Humanitarian Resilience Team said this recently, in a letter to the Financial Times newspaper; "Gaza is most worryingly suffering from invisible wounds inflicted on its children by the last conflict. Children are showing devastating signs of trauma. Almost all of those — 96 per cent — on our programmes need direct psychosocial support. Nearly a quarter (23 per cent) of them are suffering severe psychosocial issues. Three devastating wars have wrought havoc on children in Gaza, with more than 400,000 of them still in need of psychosocial care." Our program in Gaza is aimed at as many of these children as we can reach.  Please assist us here .  Thankyou!

No this is not them....I do have some pics but its a long story about pic files and my phone crashing....don't ask... Took delivery last week of our first batch of used balls and boots for our Gaza campaign. Thirty-five balls and assorted boots of varied sizes were tipped our way by Caloundra City  soccer club. Club Prez Craig Russell told me as we stood in an empty football field as dusk and a storm approached that this is the biggest junior club on the Sunshine Coast, with some 45 teams. The team Craig coaches just fell short of the Grand Final, but finished a credible third in the comp. So, thanks to Craig and the Caloundra City family for their generous donation. Only 965 balls to go to reach our target.... Fortunately, we have received pledges from Kevin Milstein at the Reagan Milstein Foundation , The Sunshine Coast Churches Soccer Association and from Mark Acaster (who has helped us before) at Red Lion Football Tours , so we're gradually on the way to our ...

Pic: Trevor Hogan via benswann.com The Kick Project has been on an enforced hiatus for a while. But we're back. And we've got plans. We've all seen what's been going on in Gaza. The kids in the picture above were playing soccer on the Gaza beach a month or so ago. There was another boy with them outside of frame. They were all killed moments after this photo was taken by direct Israeli rocket fire. Their names were Zacaria, Aahed Bakr Jr., Mohammed and Ismail. They were all from the same extended family. The IDF believed they may be Hamas operatives. They are among the hundreds of kids killed, and the thousands of children wounded, often horribly so. And they, perhaps, are the lucky ones, for their suffering is over. I was in Gaza myself in the early 1990's, and met many beautiful people there. I felt welcomed and very secure. Whatever the political context of what's going on there - I have my views on that for sure - the fact is that children and being ...

Pic: Shalom Life Superstar Argentinian Lionel Messi has spoken out in defence of children in crisis during the bombing of Gaza by Israeli forces. As the UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador he is reportedly "terribly saddened" by the vents in Gaza. Read more here

Pic: Goals of Peace Soccer Camp A camp organised by Soccer 4 Peace has successfully run a program in Israel aimed to bring kids from both Jewish and Muslim backgrounds together, on soccer's common ground. Read more