“You have to find a way to explain things in an easy and lively manner.”

A language barrier can be a big challenge. In the following interview Jasper tells us his experiences as volunteer in Kenya.

PLAY HANDBALL: Why is handball important for you and what did it gave/ gives you?

Jasper: Handball has given me many friendships as well as the opportunity to experience real team spirit.

PLAY HANDBALL: How did you heard about PLAY HANDBALL ZA?

Jasper: I first encountered “Play Handball” on the official “Weltwärts” website which then caught my interest.

PLAY HANDBALL: Why did you decided to become a Handball Volunteer in Kenya?

Jasper: I liked the concept of using Handball as a tool to teach life skills and address important issues such as pollution and climate change.

PLAY HANDBALL: How long have you been now a handball volunteer in South Africa?

Jasper: Since 5 month

PLAY HANDBALL: Tell us something about your volunteer experience so far?

Jasper: So far my volunteer experience has been good. I like the openness of the people and that Handball is accepted as a sport by the students.

PLAY HANDBALL: What was the most memorable experience?

Jasper: When I first introduced the Ecobrick technique to the students. In the next week there were already students that brought their first finished Ecobricks which made me very happy.

PLAY HANDBALL: What was the greatest challenge until now?

Jasper: A big challenge is the language barrier during training the kids. You have to find a way to explain things in an easy and lively manner so that even the young children can understand what you’re saying.

PLAY HANDBALL: How do you experience the handball coaching at school/ community?

Jasper: Sometimes there are a few things that make training more difficult than in Germany. First of all there is the field which is mostly ash and is often very uneven, also there are no lines and you have to use cones to mark things like the goal area, secondly the language barrier which makes communication sometimes a bit difficult and thirdly the number of students that want to participate which sometimes is overwhelmingly high. But all in all, these are problems that you can handle.

PLAY HANDBALL: Do you think your work has an impact?

Jasper: I would say yes, since people learn things about the environment and can also apply the knowledge in their daily life. And also through handball there is the possibility for students to get a scholarship. In Kenya there are many sport related scholarships.

PLAY HANDBALL: How is the life with a local host Family?

Jasper: Life with my host family works perfect and so far we didn’t encounter any major problems. But still life in Kenya is way more laborious than in Germany, since e.g. clothes and dishes are all washed by hands.

PLAY HANDBALL: Any other comments or sentiments you’d like to share

Jasper: The weather is surprisingly rainy which I didn’t expect in this extreme form before coming here.