Moneyball

When he met Boniface, a 9-year-old Zambian boy, Jeff Decelles, Ed.M.'08, had just moved from Zimbabwe to launch a branch of the soccer-based HIV-prevention organization Grassroots International. They were at a soccer tournament in Lusaka, the country's capital, and both were kicking around soccer balls. The balls, however, couldn't have been any more different — Decelles' was a fancy Nike, the kind professionals use, while Boniface's was homemade, pieced together from something most people throw away: old plastic bags.

Decelles saw Boniface's ball, known locally as a ragball, and knew he had to make a trade.

"I loved all the ragballs I had seen in Zambia and wanted one for myself, so I offered to trade him a real Nike ball," Decelles says. "Boniface was thrilled. I think he never really thought his ragball was something unique or special. I was thrilled to finally have my own African soccer ball."

What exactly is a ragball, and why do kids like Boniface make them? Decelles says that throughout many parts of the world, purchasing a new soccer ball is financially unrealistic, so young people make them out of readily available materials — everything from plastic bags to banana leaves to newspapers. He's even seen some made with condoms.

"I was always amazed at the resourcefulness of the young people that would make these ragballs," Decelles says. "A ragball might not be as nice as a new Nike or Adidas soccer ball, but knowing how to make one allows people to still play the game they love."

Now, thanks to Decelles, it also allows them to make money. After his win-win exchange with Boniface, Decelles started wondering if friends and family would be as excited over ragballs as he was, and if they'd consider buying one to support young people. The answer turned out to be yes and led to Decelles starting a program in 2009 in South Africa, where he now lives, called Ragball International. The program helps other ragball crafters sell their balls internationally, while also participating in a 20-session financial education program that teaches them how to save and spend wisely and set financial goals. They also learn about the positive impact their recycling and reusing is having on the environment. Last February, Ragball was hired by the U.S. State Department to run soccer-based financial education camps for young people in Djibouti, on the Horn of Africa. This year, they hope to expand to North Africa and Latin America. They are also reaching out specifically to girls.

"Lacking a soccer ball is one of many barriers that prevents girls from accessing the sport. If there is a soccer ball in the house, the girl will likely not be allowed to play with it," Decelles says. "We are teaching 100 girls in Khayelitsha, South Africa, how to make ragballs from local materials, and we are researching whether this specific knowledge can help girls to play soccer."

These days, crafters each make and sell from 50 to several hundred ragballs a year through a few different channels. "We sell bulk orders to corporate clients such as South African Airways, UNAIDS, and the Corporate Council on Africa," Decelles says. "We also sell directly to consumers via soccer.com and in artisan craft stores in Cape Town." Crafters have been trying out new materials such as bottle caps, banana fibers, and shoelaces. Ragball is also adding a player trading card with each ball, which includes a photo and background information on the ball's crafter.

Back at his home, Decelles says ragballs have even become popular with his young children.

"My four-year-old daughter loves the brightly colored ragballs," he says, "and my one-and-a-half-year-old son actually just said 'ragball' for the first time today!"