1. Skip to content
  2. Skip to main menu
  3. Skip to more DW sites

Namibia on the ball

April 16, 2013

The German-Namibian soccer initiative "Global United FC" raises money at charity games and special events at schools to help spread awareness about the environment and climate issues among Namibia’s youth.

https://p.dw.com/p/18F1j
teaser gloabalideas ++ Tommy Mandlmeier ++
Image: Tommy Mandlmeier

Namibia: Climate Kick - Loving Football, Loving the Planet

Project goal: Supporting various small projects to protect the climate, from gathering resources to recycling plastic bags

Project size: In 2012, 40 schools in Namibia gathered 135 tons of trash; plastic bags in Namibia are now made up of 65 percent of recycled materials

CO2 savings: around 2.5 kg of CO2 per kilo of polyethylene from plastic bags

Project volume: Namibia’s president has released around 40 million euros ($52.3 million) to clean up environmental destruction and climate change adaptation

When it comes to protecting the climate, Namibia is taking small but steady steps to success. The first task at hand is to raise awareness about climate change and the methods to fight it, from recycling to conserving water. The German-Namibian soccer initiative “Global United FC” is playing a big role in that effort. Founder Lutz Pfannenstiel, a former German goalkeeper, has organized games for the fourth time now where the proceeds go directly to supporting an environmental campaign in Namibia. The players, many of them former German top league stars, go to Namibian schools and show kids how recycling can be cool.

A film by Thomas Mandlmeier