The following was authored by Sarah Heanaghan – Supporter Relations Co-ordinator at TEAR Fund NZ.

Homeless but not Hopeless

Susan Koch and Jeff Werner’s documentary, ‘Kicking It’ based on the Homeless World Cup, explores how a ball can change the world.

Far from the stereotypical view of homelessness, this documentary seeks to challenge our preconceived ideas. It embraces your heart and views with the lives of six diverse individuals from all corners of the globe. As the movie progresses we learn of their stories that lead them into homelessness, into soccer and to the homeless world cup.

Starting in 2003 with just 18 nations competing, the Homeless World Cup has grown to the 56 nations that now compete today. Thousands of homeless people each year congregate in an effort to kick addictions, understand a new sense of community and ultimately train and compete to achieve a once in a life time experience. Ostracised and marginalised from society, these contenders relish in the opportunity to represent their country on the soccer field.

Among the many vibrant characters we meet throughout the movie, the main six we are introduced to are: Danny a 23 year old heroin addict from Dublin, Alex a determined local of the Nairobi slums, Jesús an older and unlikely competitor from Madrid, Najb a teenage survivor from a strict Muslim community in Afghanistan, an African American independent called Craig and an expatriate Russian named Slava.

The diversity of each of these now hopeful individuals is laid out in a refreshingly contrasting way. We see the different teams form in their home towns from the Nairobi community, who rally around to create a make-shift soccer field from removed dirt and metal fences, to the Russian team who’s dream was to win the cup in the hopes that it would put the spotlight on homelessness in Russia, and therefore obligating their government to address the situation.

Each team captures your compassionate emotion, as you start to become a spectator in the stands. You feel Kenya’s loss, as Alex the persistent yet inadequate goal kicker, shoots for yet another penalty shot despite pleas and threats from his coach. You feel yourself cheering on Jesús, who despite his age, takes on younger competitors with enormous determination. You marvel at Craig who comes across obnoxious and abrasive, but has nuggets of pure wisdom and heart breaking truth, and you almost erupt with cheer as the team you secretly take sides with, Russia, takes home not only the cup but a well earned title that is justified, contrasting with the usual labels branded on them.

As the movie wraps up with an unexpected tragedy you still come away feeling inspired and uplifted as you refocus on the very real world of homelessness. Despite the seemingly dire circumstances, hope came in the form of a soccer ball, bringing with it a sense of belonging and unity we can all relate to.

This documentary was part of the Human Rights film festival and was shown along with a New Zealand documentary called: Putting Homelessness into Focus. Watching these two films I felt as though I had just looked into a window I always knew was there but had never took the time to peer through. Subconsciously stereotyping homeless people, I was confronted with opposing ideas of homelessness and the types of people this can include. The frightening truth that all people are basically only three major life changing events away from becoming homeless, really realigned my perspective. Clare Aspinall, a social environment advisor for New Zealand says “The traditional idea of homelessness that people imagine, is usually a man, maybe in his middle years sleeping on the street possibly with addictions. There are actually very few people like this that make up that portion of the population. Women, families, youth, younger people, they’re not seen, they don’t sleep on the streets, they’re actually hidden in other places.”

Reflecting on the movies and what they portrayed I am surprised at the passion they stir up in me. Changing the world can seem a daunting yet noble task only to be taken on by the ‘Mother Theresa’s’ and the ‘Nelson Mandela’s’ of the world. A mission for “someone else” to do “tomorrow”. Yet when you bring it back to something as simple as a soccer game, how hard can it be?

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