Together even when we’re apart

The SOIL team getting some pre-game words of encouragement during a soccer game earlier this year

As the world grapples with the COVID-19 outbreak, the SOIL team is hard at work ensuring that we are doing everything we can to protect our staff and the communities we serve while maintaining the EkoLakay household sanitation service that is essential for supporting the health and safety of our customers. The past weeks have been incredibly challenging, and as we continue to work through our fear, sadness, and grief, the SOIL team wanted to take a step back and share the memory of a lighter moment of shared joy earlier this year. 

In February, the SOIL team in Cap-Haitien came together to play a friendly soccer game, pitting the Ekolakay team (who keeps our sanitation service rolling come rain or shine) against the Composting team (who makes sure all waste is fully and safely treated) to see who would emerge, victorious, as the SOIL champion. The game was a way for the whole team to relax and spend time together – a rare occasion when everyone works so hard! And though each team played to win, the game was joyous, friendly, and full of fun teasing. 

The team played in Milot, the small town in Haiti where SOIL was founded in 2006. Community members came out to watch the game and chat with the SOIL team, and SOIL’s founder Dr. Sasha Kramer even joined to watch the festivities. Our longtime team member Tidou served as commentator, expertly narrating the game play while also threading in details about SOIL’s service offerings, making sure to let onlookers know how to sign up!  After a close game, well-defended on both sides, the Composting team emerged as the winner, beating the EkoLakay team 1-0.

The victors will be honored at the SOIL team’s next quarterly meeting (though the trophy presentation may now happen over a video conference!), and the EkoLakay team is already talking about scheduling the next match once it is safe to be back together in person to try again for a win.  It is in times like these that we are most grateful for the chances we’ve already been granted to come together as a whole team. The bonds forged in these light and joyful moments can help our team to continue working together as a cohesive whole, even when faced with some of the most difficult challenges in the world. 

We remain hopeful, we continue to determinedly fight for a healthier future, and we await the day when our team can meet on the soccer field once again. 

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