PLAY HANDBALL uses handball as a tool for social development in Africa – together with partner organisations such as Go4Goals and supported by dedicated volunteers. One of them is Wolf Meyer-Hagen, 80 years old, head of the handball department for many years and now honorary president of the handball department of KSV AJAX Köpenick and a true veteran of Berlin handball.

In spring, he travelled to Tanzania to train children and coaches in handball. With his energy, humour and decades of experience, he quickly became an inspiration for many people there.

After his return, we at PLAY HANDBALL spoke to Wolf about his experiences, his motivation and his love of the sport.

Dear Wolf, please introduce yourself briefly: Who are you, where are you from and what is your sporting background?

I’m Wolf, born in 1943, and I come from Lübeck. Sport has always been a central part of my life. I became a handball goalkeeper at the age of 14 and played in the provincial football team at 15. Later, I played in the national defence and student teams in northern Germany, with games all over the Eastern Bloc – from Moscow to Tbilisi. I was also active in international tournaments in Scandinavia, often hitchhiking, always with a ball, of course. I worked as a coach for youth and men’s teams up to the 2nd league/upper league in the old West Germany and coached the French women’s national team at the 1978 World Cup in Germany. After my professional life as a sports, German and art teacher, I was drawn to youth coaching as a proud grandad – after all, sport is the best thing in the world, even for the little ones.

How did you find out about PLAY HANDBALL and the handball project in Tanzania?

Our Köpenick sports club has maintained friendly contacts with many European countries for years, especially in the area of youth work. The ‘Africa hype’ came about rather by chance: our club president developed a passion for Madagascar, and I myself actually wanted to climb Mount Kilimanjaro and then relax on Zanzibar. While planning my trip, I came across PLAY HANDBALL, who work with Go4Goals in Tanzania. So why not combine pleasure with something useful and my passion for handball. After a brief contact with Nicola, who is on site for PLAY HANDBALL in South Africa, everything was pretty much sorted. I also got in touch with my ‘handball foster son’ Martin Berger – former Ajax player and current coach at Rhein-Neckar Löwen – straight afterwards. He visited PLAY HANDBALL in South Africa and Kenya a few years ago as part of his handball world tour and continues to support the organisation as an ambassador. Martin has encouraged me in my plans.

What motivated you to volunteer at your age?

I have experienced a lot, but I still have a great desire to learn new things and pass on sport. A palm reader in New Zealand once told me that I would live to be 100 – so I still have 17 years that I want to fill sensibly! Besides, boredom is not for me. That’s why I combine travelling and sport, even if not every mission is a success: On Borneo last year, I tried to teach gorillas how to catch… Unsuccessfully!

How did you prepare for your stay in Tanzania?

There wasn’t much preparation. I read Hemingway’s ‘Snow on Kilimanjaro’ and read up on German colonial history in Tanzania.

What did your everyday life in Tanzania look like? What were your tasks?

Every day was different. I worked at primary schools and my main task was to train teachers – both men and women – as handball coaches. The school and training day was varied. Not everything is always as organised as in Germany, but that is also part of the cultural experience. Everyone was extremely interested, polite, cheerful and full of enthusiasm during handball training, which usually ended with a joyful clap.

Were there any special moments or encounters that you particularly remember?

The spontaneous songs and dances by the teachers as a thank you were unforgettable – real jam sessions full of joy! I was particularly touched by a little girl who greeted me with ‘Good evening, Babu’ every evening when I went for a walk. When I said goodbye, I promised her: ‘Nitarudi’ – I will come back. And you should keep your word at any age.

What was the biggest challenge?

The biggest challenge was definitely the language barrier and the partial lack of sports infrastructure. But the warmth of the people more than made up for it.

How did you experience the collaboration with the local partners?

Very cordial and uncomplicated. PLAY HANDBALL and Go4Goals do a great job of bringing handball to the communities in a sustainable way.

What advice would you like to give to other volunteers, both younger and older?

Age is not a limit! Anyone with a passion for sport and an open approach to other people will be welcome anywhere in the world. Just do it – and enjoy it.

Is there another story you’d like to share?

One of my funniest stories had nothing to do with handball: After a sunburn in the ‘beach ball office’ on the Pacific in Tanzania, I told my new friends about solariums in Germany – artificial sun with facial tanner. They could hardly believe it.

What’s next for you and the project?

Joshi Rau — another homegrown talent from Ajax that Martin and I helped develop — went on to become a German youth champion with Füchse Berlin as a goalkeeper, and he’ll be joining me on our next handball trip to Zanzibar. Together, we’ll be back to teaching handball and getting to know the amazing people and the Swahili language even better. Tuonane hivi Karibu — see you soon, in Swahili!

A big THANK YOU!

Many thanks to the Berlin Handball Federation, which is supporting Wolf’s commitment in Tanzania with sports equipment and printed materials.

About PLAY HANDBALL and Go4Goals

PLAY HANDBALL is a sports and youth development organization that uses handball as a tool for social integration, education, and sustainability. The goal is to create opportunities for young people and to promote social values. Through coaching, capacity building, and structured sports programs, the organization supports local community-based organizations (CBOs) and schools in Africa.

Founded in 2013 in South Africa, PLAY HANDBALL has since expanded to Germany (2014) and Kenya (2016). In July 2024, the organization began its cooperation with Go4Goals in Tanzania. As a sport-for-development NGO, PLAY HANDBALL promotes social change and education through handball, while strengthening young people’s sense of responsibility.

Go for Goals Sports Center (Go4Goals) is a youth sports organization operating in the districts of Mkuranga and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. It focuses primarily on promoting handball and other sports as a means of youth empowerment, discipline, and talent development in underprivileged communities.

Together, PLAY HANDBALL and Go4Goals aim to build sustainable handball structures and open up new perspectives for young people in Tanzania. This includes coach education programs to create local multipliers and the organization of joint tournaments such as the Super Cup.

More about volunteering in sport:
https://play-handball.org/en/freiwilligendienst-im-sport/

Support the project in Tanzania:
PLAY HANDBALL Förderverein
Landessparkasse zu Oldenburg (LZO)
IBAN: DE45 2805 0100 0090 9883 46
Reference: Tanzania

Or donate via Betterplace (crowdfunding for Tanzania):
https://secure.betterplace.org/de/donate/platform/projects/154101