by Filippo Busconi

14 October 2009

N'Djamena, Chad: Continuing the youth and sport initiative of last year's International Volunteer Day (IVD), UNV in Chad organized a volleyball exhibition among four local teams.

The ‘Volleyball Project’ held on 3 October was proposed by Monday Dania, a UNV volunteer from Liberia who is currently working with the United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad (MINURCAT) Transport Section in N’Djamena.

“Last March I was looking for some sport activities to do," says Monday, "and I ended up in a gym with volleyball facilities. There I found 30 Chadians (of whom only one was a woman) from 13 to 25 years of age that were seriously interested in learning how to play volleyball despite the fact that no official trainer was available. Since I had practiced this beautiful sport for several years in Liberia, I offered to train them.”

“For seven months now I have dedicated my spare time and money to teach these 30 people how to play volleyball,” he continues, “I was finally able to create not only a good team of players but a tight-knit group, which also allowed me to explain my role as a UNV volunteer in Chad and how important this experience is for me. This personal exchange and interaction led 20 of them to resume the studies they had abandoned... and has encouraged them to study English.”

The event started with an official launch by the UNV Support Office and representatives from Zain Telecom Tchad.  Activities in front of a hundred curious and enthusiastic spectators continued until early afternoon. There were tight and exciting matches where a MINURCAT volleyball team composed of UNV volunteers, national and international staff played a close but friendly game. The competition took place in Sabangali, a suburban area in N’Djamena.

“It was a successful initiative” declared Isabelle Blanc, a UNV volunteer from France who was directly involved with Monday in organizing the whole event. "It was amazing to see how sports can bring people together and provide strong motivation to seek new opportunities.”