A few entries ago I wrote about the actividades people in Villa el Salvador and other pueblos jóvenes hold to raise funds for various needs. Today I had the honor (a Passover mitzvah of sorts?) of participating in a very unique and special actividad, in the form of a soccer tournament!

In short, the family, who needed quite a large sum of money to help one of its members with a health issue, organized an entire soccer tournament! They rented a local soccer pitch (stone walls surrounding a sandy, dusty playing area with two goals at either end - see the pictures), hired referees and invited families (neighbors and friends) to enter in the tournament for a small fee. Families in this case means entire clans! Fathers, brothers, uncles, cousins, nephews and cousins, and cousins and nephews of cousins and nephews. The families came together from far and wide to play in the tournament and it was a special occasion for everyone.

A few of the families also sported (pun intended) women's teams, and Anita (my research assistant) and I were invited to join the host family's team. It was loads of fun, and knowing we were supporting a good cause in the process made the whole experience all the more special.

In addition to the soccer matches the host family also sold food and drinks, as is customary in regular actividades, and had also hired a few local music groups for entertainment.

Click here to see photos of our team in action!

(ah, we did win, by the way, although that really didn't matter so much in the larger scheme of things!)