HISTORY

GDM is a sport and recreation club that was founded in 1980 by the community of Manica, in the province of Manica, Mozambique. In a time of brutal civil war; ordinary people expressed their need for social cohesion, hope and a belief that life under the Mozambican sun can be good.

26 Years later, the very same club, crippled by overbearing poverty and socio-economic challenges still held fast to their dream. Their building was dilapidated, but their pride and belief in a better life remained. And so in 2006 they partnered with the University of Johannesburg to start ‘operation reclaim the dream': a dream of a holistic club that use sport, specifically football to facilitate social change. The rest, as they say is history.

MISSION

The most appropriate manner to articulate the mission of GDM is the words of Nobel laureate Amartya Sen: "To expand the real freedoms people enjoy so they can be able to choose to live the lives that they might have reason to value."

→ Reflection: true development means each person knows and chooses what he or she wants! We may pick words that reflect a mission, but in Manica a mission is not exact words printed on a poster, it is a communal idea negotiated over years.

VISION

The way to achieve this overall mission is to create an integrated community club that uses sport for social good. The club is an inclusive hub which provides infrastructure and relationships that facilitate change.

VALUES

Three main values distinguish and guide GDM:

→ Relational: Everything happens through relationships, GDM pursues all activities and programs through friendships that explore sustainable solutions.
→ Organic: GDM allows growth to occur organically. One success leads to another and people grow naturally in their specific contexts.
→ Holistic: Our lives are integrated and HIV-Aids, poverty, fun, money, love, education etc. can never be split into artificially separate boxes. Development as freedom will always imply an integrated approach.

OBJECTIVES

To provide focus, the following objectives have been agreed on:

• Promote social inclusion and integration (vibrant civil society)

• Provide a wide variety of positive opportunities for youths to be involved in (participation)

• Promote gender equality (Mozambique at grass-root level is still very paternalistic)

• Promote skills-transfer (entrepreneurship, sport, life-skills, financial literacy, etc)

• Provide sustainable infrastructure (social hub)

• Promote physical health and safe places (including HIV-Aids and violence/crime free environments)

• To support a top-level football team that can inspire the town.