At lunch during the first day at the Global Philanthropy Forum, I sat next to two amazing people (one of whom I will write about in a future post). On my right sat Samuel Azout, one of the “social entrepreneurs” who attended the conference. A mid-career Colombian man, Samuel is now embarking on a new venture called Futbol con Corazon (Soccer with Heart) that promotes non-violent conflict resolution on the soccer fields of the inner city and among the disaffected youth of Barranquilla, the capital city of Colombia’s Atlantic coast.

Up until a couple of years ago, Samuel ran and owned the largest supermarket chain in Colombia, Vivero. Then, in 2000, he sold the company and decided to return to school to pursue a second career in the government sector. During a one year MPA program at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, he decided to dedicate his second career to applying his successful business skills to promoting peace in Colombia.

Soccer as a long-term investment in peace, health and equality? It’s not an entirely new idea. In fact, it makes so much sense that some think it can explain the whole world. But for Samuel Azout it’s the idea behind the new brand of Futbol he’s developing and its distinctly different rules.

Rule #1: At the beginning of the game, children define a topic of discussion that motivates them to play
Rule #2: Participants agree on technical and coexistence commitments for the game.
Rule #3: Each team must have two girls.
Rule #4: The first goal of the game must be scored by a girl.
Rule #5: The score is evaluated by a combination of number of goals scored and sportsmanship. At the end of the game, the players evaluate the game and the fulfillment of their commitments.
Rule #6: There is no referee. Instead, a facilitator is available to promote dialogue and consensus. The teams must resolve disputes related to all matters in the game on their own – of course, peacefully.

In addition, this after-school program (already running on Sam’s first soccer field in Barranquilla) provides nutritious meals and involves parents in the promotion of the values embodied in Futbol Con Corazon. It also requires that all participants are enrolled in school and allows opportunities for graduates of the program to become soccer trainers for younger participants. Futbol Con Corazon has already received support from local government, corporate sponsors, and others seeking to promote a long-term solutions to ending Colombia’s 50-year internal conflict and resulting inner city violence. They have plans to grow the program to include 100 soccer fields in Barranquilla and to reach 30,000 students ages 6 – 15.

Sam is trying to promote peaceful relations among Colombia’s future leaders. It is no doubt a long-term investment, but Samuel has big plans and hopes to spread this work to other parts of Colombia and other parts of the world.

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