‘The Match of our Lives’ is the second episode in the As You Open Your Eyes series about community change. The scenery in the film is stunning, but profoundly deceptive: there are lives of poverty and desperation.
Life is not easy for the people in Poste Lafayette. Alcoholism, drug abuse and violence are omnipresent.
This film explores a path away from these dangers.
Guylène, is able to bring together a group of young boys, a trainer and a ball. “If you walk on a path with a friend, you must walk hand in hand as a team”.
Visual Development is happy to bring you this precious story.
MATCH OF OUR LIVES
SPORTS AGAINST VIOLENCE
Don't give up and you will succeed!
AUSTRIA - BELGIUM - FRANCE - GUYANA - INDONESIA - KENYA - SINGAPORE - SPAIN - THE NETHERLANDS
Once again As You Open Your Eyes is combining visual poetry with a powerful message.
Karin Bleiweiss
Austria
This story reminds me of my own life as a child. I went back to Burundi seeing those kids playing, being joyful and forgetting about the rest.
David
Ixelles, Belgium
Kids are the strength of this community. Even if they have this huge challenge of alcoholism, there is hope and an objective for these kids, and that's what makes them move. This movie inspires me and also reminds about my own story and experience of life. It reminds me that even if the challenge is huge, we should do something, even if it's a little step, such as creating a football team. At least they are doing something.
Diego
Ixelles, Belgium
I'm amazed to see that the project of a football club was developed by the community itself and not by a social worker. Now I'm thinking back to my own work and I think we could do even better by giving more space to ownership on the volunteers.
Anabelle
Youth Program Coordinator - Belgium
It doesn't take much to get started and try to change things on your own scale, a ball, crampons and you can create a football team, to involve young people and thus offer spaces for alternatives to a challenging daily life.
Anonimous
Brussels
Guylène, in The Match of Our Lives, says she will never give up on the children. We were actually halfway giving up.......If she can do it, I can do it!
Aidah Samat
Coach for a 'sepak takraw' children team