Teaching Social Justice Through Soccer in Africa

Framingham native Christian Aviza just headed to Kenya to teach social change, while kicking around a soccer ball.

Christian Aviza grew up playing soccer in Framingham and was always an avid player. Little did he know soccer would one day lead him to volunteer in Africa, yet that’s exactly what happened. Aviza, now 39, just left for a month-long trip to Kenya with Coaches Across Continents, an organization that uses soccer to bring about social change. The organization has found that kids are more open to hearing new perspectives when they’re busy kicking a soccer ball. Through soccer, Aviza said, they can teach life skills and bring up very difficult topics, such as HIV/AIDS, female equality, and reintegrating child soldiers into a community. “They might not come and sit for a lecture,” Aviza said, “but if you incorporate the lessons into a sport … …

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