WE PLAY GREEN + BUTTERFLY FRIENDS = TRUE

The following is taken from the WE PLAY GREEN Facebook page:

We’re very excited to introduce our first #2 Ambassador from Africa, Binta Barry!

Binta is a 22-year-old manager of the “Super Butterflies,” the soccer academy for Butterfly Friends. The Butterfly Friends is a Norwegian organization that has been operating five schools for over 5,000 students since 2002. Primarily serving girls, this organization promotes female empowerment by providing free education, school supplies, uniforms, and daily meals, as many of the students come from families with limited means. Last November, we partnered with them to organize a “green” soccer tournament focused on the importance of the #2 (read the story here).

Our newest ambassador, Binta, was once a student at The Butterfly Friends and continues to work there as a way of giving back.

She explains, “They (Butterfly Friends) have sponsored nearly 18 years of my education, and I decided to give back to them at the soccer academy by serving as the manager—because one good turn deserves another.

What inspired me is that Butterfly Friends have positively contributed to my future and the future of thousands of Gambians in my country; because of this humanitarian act, I was convinced that there is no place like Butterfly Friends when it comes to advancing a philanthropic agenda.

Outside of her work on the field, Binta is in her final year of nursing school, which will be an accomplishment complemented by her bachelor’s degree in the performing arts and certificate training in waste management from WasteAid.

As a #2 Ambassador, Binta will serve as a representative for the 2015 Paris Agreement—which commits to limiting global warming to under 2 degrees Celsius—as well as for all the ways we can implement the Green Shift using the #2 symbol. This includes thinking “#2wice” about our consumer behaviors, promoting the purchase of #2ndhand items, and demonstrating that we all have a #Role2play.

Already fulfilling her #Role2play, Binta is passionate and attuned to the current challenges her community faces in The Gambia. Binta has shared with us why she took an intensive waste management course and her goals as a #2 Ambassador.

“In my community, we have problems with poor waste management, environmental litter, and open sewage. These are issues that need to be addressed in my community, and I’ve already started.

Climate change cannot be stopped, but its impact can be reduced. I hope to help create a greener Gambia and a greener world. I also want to educate people about climate change and show them better ways to preserve the environment. My biggest goal is to work with SuperButterfly and Butterfly Friends to change and improve people’s attitudes toward climate change. I love community activities such as cleanup efforts, awareness campaigns, and projects that empower women and girls.”

Binta is the perfect #2 ambassador because she understands the potential of using soccer as a tool to mobilize the global soccer community. This year, Butterfly Friends partnered with WPG to organize a successful soccer tournament centered around the #2 initiative. Binta believes that close collaboration with We Play Green will generate significant local attention to the planetary crises, as they hope to involve major soccer organizations like FIFA and continue to expand their reach.

She explains, “The soccer family is so large that when brought together and made aware of climate change, we can reach a wide range of people. Using Gambian soccer as a model, we can generate more support by creating a team with a strong connection to climate change to serve as the face of the tournament. We’re also involving influential soccer players to raise awareness about the dangers of climate change.”

We’re thrilled to have Binta representing #2 in The Gambia, where so much positive change can happen! We’re certain she’s going to achieve great things!