From Basketball Varese, Cimberio and Vispe gave an assist to Burundi kids
Something that happens more than we think in Italy is the gathering of people to join teams with the only purpose to share attention towards the others. That is what happens in the most beautiful version of Italy, and among many teams, there is the one formed by the young volunteers from Basketball Varese and Vispe.
The aim is to gather the highest quantity of sporting clothes for children that born and grow up in the Vispe’s missions in Nepal, Brazil, and Burundi.
Aldo Cazzulani explains: “I had the idea in one of the earliest trips to Burundi, where I’ve lived for nine years, sharing with church people and not the tragedy of the civil war. Once I was meeting a doctor in a little village not too far from the mission in Mutoyi, and I had the chance to see a group of kids playing basketball, some of them were doing it just for fun, some others because were involved in some kind of national championship. In that same period of time, we were building basketball and volleyball fields in our Mission, and that event made more convicted to the building of them, with the priority to find hoops and basketballs. Among Vispe’s friends, we found Roberto Cimberio, who, thanks to the firm he manages, already made possible the construction of two schools in our Mission, and sponsors the Varese basketball team and the Handicap sport association, as well as the sporting activities held in San Patrignano.
It was clear to me that I had to ask for his help. Roberto gladly joined our initiative and involved Raffaella Mattè (Basketball Varese). With her, we organized a charity event in which we gathered sport wears and shoes. The event was so successful, both from the quantity of clothes gathered and the visibility point of view, that we are probably going to do it again next fall”.
On the field, there are six protagonists of the “youth department” from Vispe: Simona Chiesa, Laca Castelli, Laura Mangani, Chiara Antonino, Daniela Berardi, and Temesgen Cazzaluani.
“Considered that we’re talking in sport-terms –says Laura- we can affirm that the Vispe match in Varese had a positive overcome. Of course, the majority of people were there because of the Varese basketball team. Nevertheless, as long as t-shirts, shorts, shoes, information and contact asked are concerned, we definitely had a major success”.
How can you become a volunteer in Vispe?
Simona replies: “In the majority of cases, people know about Vispe thanks to words of mouth, but also thanks to the information effort we do in schools, on social media and thanks to any other possibility we have. Actually, every day there are new initiatives and projects aimed to support our activity. The last of them, was a project involving youngsters who took care of a garden; they grow vegetables that then were sold in the local market. Everyone can find his place! Either in our headquarter in the village of Badile, or in the summer vacations. Of course we’re eager to accept everyone in our Missions around the world, as a volunteer or as a specialized operator, but only after some specific preparation”.
From the activities done in Badile, the come and go of volunteers and expeditions from and to their Missions we could say that Vispe doesn’t know any crisis.
“The present times are very happy –says Aldo- only for a few years we had to stop the travelling of volunteers to Burundi for security reasons, but lately, the situation improved. Indeed, few days later the Varese basketball initiative, six young volunteers left for Mutoyi: some are coming back, some others are leaving for the first time. They’ll stay there for some months, with specific tasks to complete there.
Mutoyi is a wonderful plateau were cooperatives managed by Vispe flourished over the last years. Particularly, they are very proud of the hospital they manage, which became the reference point for the whole country. There is always something to do for the people who come to give a hand, and for the natives.
This time, volunteers’ bags will be full of basketball sportswear and shoes, but every trip, every encounter, every thought, plays an even more important role that lead, eventually, to friendships and emotions that will remain.
Info: www.vispe.it – https://www.facebook.com/vispeonlus/