Kicking the Habit in Zimbabwe
By Eveline Chikwanah and E Julu Swen
Jan. 21, 2022 | HARARE, Zimbabwe (UM News)
Boys race on a dusty, makeshift soccer field. Dressed in an assortment of clothes, some run barefoot on the sand, pausing to listen to instructions from their coaches.
This is Glen View Football Academy, the brainchild of Raymond Maravi, 71, and his wife, Elizabeth, 69, members of Macedonia Glen View 7 United Methodist Church.
“In 2013, I noticed that one of our young neighbors appeared to be using substances,” Elizabeth Maravi recalled. “He was hardly at home, and we would be asked to help in searching for him when he went missing for days as these boys are orphans.
“What we witnessed spurred us to find a way to assist the youth in our neighborhood,” she said. “We wanted to give them a meaningful pastime in order for them to steer clear from abusing drugs.”