2006.10.14: October 14, 2006: Headlines: COS - Namibia: Sports: The Philadelphia Inquirer: Chad Zibelman coaches soccer, and teaches English to seventh, ninth and 10th graders in Namibia
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2006.10.14: October 14, 2006: Headlines: COS - Namibia: Sports: The Philadelphia Inquirer: Chad Zibelman coaches soccer, and teaches English to seventh, ninth and 10th graders in Namibia
Chad Zibelman coaches soccer, and teaches English to seventh, ninth and 10th graders in Namibia
Chad Zibelman hitchhiked 136 miles to pick up a shipment of soccer uniforms and balls donated by Plymouth Whitemarsh High School. A Peace Corps volunteer in Namibia, stationed in the village of Okanguati, Zibelman had to travel to the nearest town to pick up the boxes. When he returned to his hostel and opened the boxes in front of the youngsters, 'there was so much excitement,' Zibelman said. 'Everyone wanted to touch them and try them on. The next day, there was a game held... to show them off.'
Chad Zibelman coaches soccer, and teaches English to seventh, ninth and 10th graders in Namibia
He forges their bond with sports
Philadelphia Inquirer
October 14, 2006
We actually sent the other half [of the uniforms] to the Peace Corps in Kenya. If they wind up playing [each other], they're going to look alike
Chad Zibelman hitchhiked 136 miles to pick up a shipment of soccer uniforms and balls donated by Plymouth Whitemarsh High School.
A Peace Corps volunteer in Namibia, stationed in the village of Okanguati, Zibelman had to travel to the nearest town to pick up the boxes. When he returned to his hostel and opened the boxes in front of the youngsters, 'there was so much excitement,' Zibelman said. 'Everyone wanted to touch them and try them on. The next day, there was a game held... to show them off.'
Zibelman coaches soccer, and teaches English to seventh, ninth and 10th graders in Namibia. He also volunteers at a soup kitchen for AIDS orphans, and collects schoolbooks for his students.
Okanguati is a small village in the northwest corner of the Southwest African country. Zibelman lives among the Himba community, one of the few remaining traditional tribes.
When he arrived last January, 'every day was just another wild pickup game with too many players on the field and the occasional match,' he said. Zibelman decided to kick it up a notch by organizing a soccer league 'for which we held a draft and had a 15-game season,' he said in an e-mail, but the enthusiastic players lacked equipment.
Zibelman, 24, had played soccer since he was 5, and he knew how the right gear could make a winning team. He played for a local traveling team and Plymouth Whitemarsh High School, earning the school's MVP award his freshman year.
His father, Joe Zibelman, called Charlie Forster, the Plymouth Whitemarsh activities director, and asked if he could help. 'He was most gracious and energetic in helping out on the soccer front,' Joe Zibelman said.
Forster dug up three sets of uniforms from 20 years ago, along with 13 balls.
'The standing joke is I don't throw anything out,' Forster said, laughing.
'We actually sent the other half [of the uniforms] to the Peace Corps in Kenya. If they wind up playing [each other], they're going to look alike,' Forster joked.
It costs about $40 to $60 to send a box to Namibia. With several packages in tow, Joe Zibelman shipped them about six months ago. They finally arrived at their destination three months later, in July.
Only five balls now survive because the terrain is merciless to the synthetic leather coverings, which last only about a week.
'The field is uneven and full of rocks,' Chad Zibelman said. Nevertheless, the students love to play. 'If it was up to the students,' the balls 'would never leave their feet.'
Soccer is such a global sport that the students nickname themselves after famous players. 'I have a Ronaldinho, Beckham, Zidane, etc.,' Zibelman said.
The Namibian team wears the uniforms on special occasions, such as tournaments or championship games.
In a thank-you letter from Zibelman and B.I. Ketjijere, the principal of the school where Zibelman teaches, they wrote, The uniforms have brought a sense of pride and developed a newfound confidence in many students, which is something we are always working to build.
Copyright © 2006 Philadelphia Inquirer, All Rights Reserved.
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Story Source: The Philadelphia Inquirer
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