Bamba Experience and Futbol for Kids Bring Soccer to the Huacatinco Village!

BY KATIE ZELLHOEFER · PUBLISHED 16/04/2018 · 

Futbol for Kids!

Futbol for Kids, Foster Soccer and Bamba Experience made a charitable visit to Huacatinco Village in Peru on April 3-6, 2018 to donate school supplies, clothing, shoes, medical supplies and solar lamps as well as holding free soccer clinics for the primary and secondary schools to benefit the families of Inca Trail porters and cooks.  A group of 15 volunteers traveled to the remote village, located at 4,200 meters (13,779 feet) above sea level. They chose this remote town because several of the hard-working porters employed for the Inca Trail Treks and Alternative Treks live there.

We wanted to give back to the families so we partnered with Futbol for Kids and Foster Soccer to make it happen. We brought over 200 footballs with us to donate to each child, to make sure their new soccer skills live on!



The soccer clinic was the highlight of the trip for the kids, teachers, coaches, volunteers and even the parents!  We held two morning practice sessions from 9:00 – 12:00 and then played games in the afternoon.

On Day 1 we spent our morning with the young children from the primary school and on Day 2, we went over to the secondary school to work with the older kids.

On Day 3, we divided all the children into a red team representing Peru and a blue team representing Argentina for a school-wide tournament. Naturally, the Peruvian team won the championship with a lot of hard work and chering!

Even the parents, who were observing from the sidelines carrying babies over their backs and weaving yarn to make wool hats, got a team together to go up against the teachers and volunteers.

There were smiles and laughter on everyone’s faces as they defended their goals and tried their best to score. It was a heart-warming scene that brought everyone together no matter the age.

We look forward to visiting again next year to work with the kids again and have fun on the soccer field!!

History of the organizations

Futbol for Kids, founded by John Monreal, is a non-profit organization whose mission is “to deliver as many soccer balls to underprivileged kids as possible worldwide.” The foundation believes that one of life’s most simple pleasures is getting outside and kicking a ball.

Foster Soccer kindly collaborated by bringing soccer coaches to Peru to conduct the free clinics and help the children learn new soccer skills in a fun environment. Ben Foster, founder and head coach of Foster Soccer has spent a lifetime involved in the sport. His innovative approach helps children learn through a fun, passionate and age-appropriate program.

He believes that “soccer is a fantastic game of decision making and discovery.  A team sport that belongs to the children playing on the field – not the coach on the sideline.” “