The World Cup in South Africa has been generating buzz for the past several years, and with less than 4 weeks to the start of the event, that buzz may be deafening…and we love it. The tournament is shaping up as one of the best ever, due to the location, the strength of the teams, and the heightened attention, through multiple media channels mind you – hello Facebook, Twitter, etc. – being directed towards the host country, the players, teams, and fans.

In addition to social media taking off in the past four years, sport and development has as well. And the attention brought to not only South Africa but to the entire African continent may be a watershed moment for the movement as well.

Many individuals, organizations and companies have dedicated great time and energy extending existing development programs to Africa and/or launching new ones. These programs are intended, as they must, to last long after the Cup, bringing the type of assistance that can have an indefinite impact on the people of Africa. The programs may also service as models for other programs in Africa and around the world, whether or not they are built around a major event like the World Cup.

Our friends at sportanddev.org, the International platform on sport and development, published an article highlighting some of the programs. Please click here to access the article.

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