Hailey Oldham

We Are One Hailey Oldham

In the Spring of 2014, thirteen American teenage girl soccer players raise money on their own to visit the troubled country of Nigeria, West Africa to serve the youth there and play soccer just three weeks before the Chibok Girls kidnapping becomes world news and the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls blows up. The experiences of these girls, as told in their own words, who spent a week in Nigeria bring surprising and hopeful signs that perhaps there is a way to bridge seemingly immense gaps in gender, race, religion, and socioeconomic status through the world's sport of soccer. Here are a few highlights: "People kept telling me that it was a risk and dangerous, and it may just have been because of our security measures 24/7 that I never felt threatened. I never was scared. I was so amazed, and happy to be there." -Alex "I really hope I helped those teenage girls realize that they don't have to let the boys push them around like they do. They are just as amazing as the boys." -Britnee "I think the best thing we accomplished on this journey was making these beautiful kids feel loved and making them know that someone 8,000 miles away loved and cared for them more than we could ever explain. I think that's a feeling everyone deserves. It's about hope." -Kylie "Most people aren't happy with what they have, but they have so much more than other people. And I've seen that first hand now. The people in Nigeria had so little but were so happy." -Kaycee A large portion of the profits generated from this book goes directly towards helping continue the mission of Save-A-Thon For Africa: To Educate and Empower Young Women Through Soccer