feature story / 17 League, racking up several world re- cords in the bargain. “It doesn’t of- ficially class as professional,” explains Davies, “but standard-wise, it’s not far off from major league soccer here in the United States.” In 2001, Davies moved to New Jersey and worked for several differ- ent soccer training organizations. He began to fuse his athletic abilities with his burgeoning teaching career. That fusion would take him to Lesotho, a country in southern Africa with a pop- ulation of over two million. According to a 2016 report by the AIDS Virus Education Research Trust, 25% of the country’s population is af- flicted with HIV. Women, young girls, orphans, and children are among the groups most affected by the illness. However, HIV testing and counselling has been expanding throughout the country. Coach Nathan has played an active role in that effort. “In early 2009, I saw an ad about an organization called Kick4Life,” Da- vies explains. “They were looking for soccer players to be part of an all-star team and to play charity games against African teams. I thought this was awe- some.” But it was what happened off the field that would become an even more powerful experience. While in Lesotho, Davies and his teammates played roughly seven ben- efit matches. Once the charity games would finish, each player was assigned 10 children. “They set up testing tents with medical people who’d test the children for HIV,” he says. “We’d first have our own finger pricked, which hopefully would take away the fear from being tested. I remember this one little girl – she was about 13 or 14 – and it was her turn next. And then she ran [away from the tent]. She feared that the test would be positive. The sad thing is that for every 200 kids that were tested, 5 of them would be posi- tive. And these are kids between the ages of 11 and 15. It was just crazy.” Davies made a strong impres- sion on the fundraising organization. “Kick4Life has been incredibly fortu- nate to have Nathan as a supporter of our work,” says co-founder and chief executive Pete Fleming. “It was imme- diately clear that he has a natural gift of engaging and entertaining people regardless of their background. The kids absolutely loved him!” Upon returning to New Jersey, Da- vies would continue to develop ways in which to fundraise for underprivi- leged children. The President’s Cup 5K Nathan Davies in Lesotho where he was part of an all-star team playing games against African teams to raise money for Kick4Life. Dig Deeper. Grow Stronger. Plant Your Roots. VISIT GOLDAOCHACADEMY.ORG OR CALLTHE OFFICE OF ADMISSIONS 973-602-3601