Soccer practice in this impoverished town tucked into the Andes seems, at first glance, as bleak as the soaring, barren mountains that hover from all angles. But a dirt lot along the Chota river has become fertile soccer territory for hundreds of young boys, almost all Afro-Ecuadorean. They run past crumbling homes and kick balls into goals with no nets.

Now, these children of the Chota Valley are receiving a boost from a soccer star affectionately known as "Tin."

Agustin Delgado, among the top players of Ecuador's World Cup team this past summer, not only runs soccer clinics to help other youths turn pro, he was named earlier last month by President Alfredo Palacio as head of the Afro-Ecuadorean Development Council.

In his new role, Mr. Delgado hopes to use his stardom to improve education and housing, not just in El Juncal but for the entire black community of Ecuador. "I want this to build their self-esteem, so they have no fear of anyone," he said during lunch in Quito, his first day on the job. "There has been so much wasted potential."

Delgado is one of five players from the World Cup squad to grow up in the Chota Valley, an isolated river canyon three hours north of the capital and one of the poorest and most overlooked regions in Ecuador.

Some of these players have helped to build soccer schools and health clinics in the area, and pushed the federal government to pave roads, put up streetlights, and provide potable water.

There is still much work to do in El Juncal. This village of some 1,200 residents, almost all of them black, has two paved roads, a single church, and no high school or permanent medical clinic. Men grow beans and potatoes on small lots, and women sell the produce in local markets. But hardly anyone rises out of poverty. Nationally 70 percent of Afro-Ecuadoreans live in poverty, compared with 40 percent of whites, according to the 2001 census. In rural areas like El Juncal, the number is as high as 99 percent.

But soccer is bountiful: There is always a game on by the river, a soccer ball under the arm of a young boy.

Now Delgado, whose face hangs on billboards that warn against human trafficking, has set up a soccer clinic for local boys from ages 6 to 20. The boys practice 10 hours a week. There is also a clinic for girls. In addition, he pays and represents the best players from the area on an elite travel team.

"This is my way out," says Ronald Rodriguez, a member of the team. He stands outside his modest home in El Juncal, where his four siblings and parents share four beds between two rooms – each one filled with soccer trophies. Sheets hang over their beds to catch rainwater.

While other soccer stars have donated money to their hometowns, providing English classes, school supplies, and Christmas presents, "Tin" is known as the most socially conscious of the group. Delgado has built a medical clinic, which is only staffed Fridays and the closest hospital is an hour's drive away. He hopes to have the clinic staffed by two full-time nurses and a doctor from the Ministry of Health as soon as possible.

But perhaps his largest project is the construction of a 5,000-seat stadium to host professional games. It would also become a gathering spot for El Juncal's townspeople. In all, Delgado provides 21 jobs in a town in which formal employment is almost nonexistent.

The black community was brought to the Chota Valley by Jesuits in the 1600s to labor in cotton and sugar fields and later settled because of the region's arid, warm climate. Today blacks make up 5 percent of the population but have the highest unemployment rate in the country, according to the national census.

"We have been forgotten all our lives, for being black and for being poor," says Diana Delgado, Agustin's sister. "They never gave us so much as a soccer ball."

In some ways, poverty has proven to be a successful training method. Soccer balls roll faster down the dirt lot in El Juncal than they would on a grass field, so players must learn speed and control. When Delgado was growing up, the lot was too small for a standard team of 11, so they played seven on seven – a technique that coaches incorporate into training today. There was no room for simultaneous games, so teams played furiously, as only the winning team was allowed to remain on the field.

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