Launching Surge Soccer Liberia
We believe soccer is a powerful way to connect with people, to understand their needs, and to form lasting partnerships to meet those needs – spiritually, socially, and educationally.
When a fellow coach first called and asked, “Would you consider working in Liberia?” I politely said I’d pray about it – but honestly told the Lord, “I’m not going to Liberia.”
Four years later, we’ve been there multiple times.
What started with one trip to lead a seminar for Liberia’s top football coaches has grown into Surge Soccer Liberia. We’ve come alongside existing efforts in education (Beautiful Beginnings School), leadership training (Elite Teacher Training), soccer/educational development nationwide, and even trauma care – learning, serving, and building trust along the way.
In that first step, we visited a school, were involved in training Christian leaders in sports ministry and we assessed how could we be of service to the existing leaders and coaches in Liberia.
After Al, our VP and I took that first trip, Roy and Roberta Reed joined us. Roberta brings her expertise in educational development and Roy brings his experience in trauma counseling.
Roy and Roberta also oversee and recruit sponsors for our Liberian Leadership Interns. They have also expanded our educational and trauma relief efforts by helping us add more volunteers in the USA.
We love people. We love connecting through soccer. And we love partnering with others in Liberia and the USA to serve the people of Liberia, guided in Jesus name.
Learn more about our work and vision here on this site.
We invite you to pray with us, donate as you feel led, and consider having us speak at your church, group, or event.
Continue reading to discover more about our experience in Liberia…
Our powerful 5 minute Liberia video. Another compelling reason!
This is a series of blogs from Roberta (and Roy) Reed, who joined Surge founder Dave Irby on his second trip to Liberia. The Reeds, former Surge International Board, members live in Colorado. Roberta is an “educational specialist” and Roy is a “trauma specialist.”
Stories and Updates from Liberia
“Revolutionizing Reading in Liberia” discusses Surge Soccer’s initiative to improve literacy among Liberian youth through soccer-based educational programs. It highlights the challenges faced by the education system in Liberia and showcases the impact of combining sports with learning. The program uses soccer to engage children and incorporate reading and educational activities, aiming to foster a love for learning and improve literacy rates.
Our education initiatives led by Roberta Reed and Ollie White continue to move forward! Click here for more of the story.
Surge Soccer Liberia appreciates God almighty for his gift of life and many opportunities he had given us to work for his kingdom purpose. We also extend our thanks and appreciation to Surge International Board members and all others who contributed towards the growth and development of Surge Soccer Liberia throughout last year 2023. This report summarizes all of our activities as it relates to the following programs and financial breakdown. During the course of the year (2023) it was agreed that we have an online meeting once every month …
Dear Friends, MEET OUR LIBERIAN INTERNS IN THE ATTACHMENT Many years ago we received a $30,000 matching grant. This Year End matching grant is a mere $3,000 — but what an impact your prayers and year end donations can have in Liberia. We are starting a Christian Leadership Training program and have five young Liberians ready to GO! We appreciate the Year End Gifts we have already received and we are praying for a few more so we can start the new year in Liberia with a Bang! Imagine for …
We are pleased to announce our new Leadership Internship Program in Liberia. Set to launch in November the concept took shape on our most recent trip from the US to Liberia when Roberta Reed (our education specialist) spent time with Winnifred, one of our Surge Liberia volunteers. Since our first trip to Liberia in February 2022 we have now made 4 trips to Liberia. Surge Soccer Liberia has been officially launched and we have grown from two Liberian staff members to a total of nine staff and volunteers. With the …
Today Sammy Surge and team visited the Praise Academy Solid Foundation School located in a slum in Liberia. 150 children and staff were on hand for Sammy’s presentation of study hard, play fair, help others. This school is located in a slum community. This school is a primary school with 150 students between the ages of 5-15 years. The school has 10 staffs including teachers and administrative staff.
Thank you for praying for Al’s recent trip to Liberia. Looking at our prayer requests, I’m happy to report answered prayer forall: Safety in travel Good health Clarity in teaching Open hearts However, there were still a few snags on the trip that made it fairly stressful. Al was writing things out as it was happening in order to have documentation for our dealings with the airline, so I’ll copy and paste some of that here.
We are so grateful to be working in Liberia and for our Liberian friends, but we have found it hard to get to Liberia. On November 8th this was our note “Please pray for my friend & colleague Al Lotz as he is stranded in Ghana. He was on his was to teach at a conference in Liberia. He flew from Atlanta to New York to Accra, Ghana and is now stranded due to a strike. No word on when he can get out! On our four trips we have experienced multiple flight cancelations & delays! “ But …
Good morning! Thank you for praying for Liberia and for the Liberian people. Please pray specifically for Ollie at this time. Her older brother died this past week. Here is an encouraging, inspirational, and thoughtful video of Amos Gayflor, chief of one of the Liberian tribes, and dedicated to spreading the word of God throughout Africa. What amazing people we met in Liberia, and now you can meet them through the videos! The new technology made a huge difference in our second Cross-Cultural Professional Learning Community meeting! Thank you! It …
Good morning and best wishes as you head into the Labor Day weekend. Thank you for your continued prayers for Liberia and for Beautiful Beginnings School. Monday, September 5, is the first day of the new school year with students! Such an exciting time of possibilities. Here is Ollie with the 2022/2023 PTO Board. The two modems have been purchased and installed, so our next Cross-Cultural Professional Learning Community meeting on Friday, September 9, should have better connectivity. Thank you. Ollie has been traveling and leading back to back professional …