DU’s Iggy and i-ACT’s Project Coordinator Sara-Christine.
Earlier today I wrote an entirely different blog than the one you’re reading now. The reason you’re reading this one and not the other is because the past couple hours I’ve been laying in bed, trying to fall asleep. Clearly I wasn’t successful because I couldn’t get Iggy’s message out of my head.
If you follow our work, you are probably familiar with Iggy. He was one of the 2012 DU squad players and will most likely make the team again this year. He also has his very own page on the Darfur United website; A page dedicated to his perspective, messages, and thoughts. Gabriel and I have had the pleasure of spending time with him here in N’Djamena the past couple trips.
What struck me most about his message was it’s connection to something I was reading earlier, it was an article about values. Among other things it discussed how people in our society define the concept of achievement. Often that our definition of achievement usually involves money, prestige, fame, and/or material possessions. The article put forth, that instead, we should put everything that’s not human in its proper place, and rather invest in what’s really important – people.
I realized that Iggy’s message touched on this point:
“For me famous isn’t to be have money and not to be most popular for the peoples, but only it’s the peoples to knows who you are. And now we are famous, and before Darfur united we were nil, but now we are fine.”
This man, Iggy, is the future of Sudan. He, his teammates, the coaches and children involved with DU and the Academy are what we’re investing in. Why? Because we’re thinking ahead. Way ahead. Soon enough it will be time for these men and children of these camps to be leaders, and they will work together to build peace in their communities and country. Years from now, the real value of achievement won’t necessarily be how many games they’ve won, how famous or well known Darfur United becomes, but rather when the players we’ve invested in become leaders for their people and country, like Iggy. That will be the ultimate achievement.