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Can a soccer game change the world? Probably not, but it could mean change for millions of people in Tigray, a region in Ethiopa characterized by severe poverty and deprivation, and one Dutchess County resident is going to find out.
“I knew that there was going to be poverty, but I didn’t imagine that it would be like that,” said 12-year-old Roan Gideon of Rhinebeck. Gideon recently returned from a trip to Ethiopia with his family to bring home his baby brother Quin – the newest addition to the Gideon family.
“I was just astounded. People there live in mud and clay huts, and there were so many people living in one house,” Gideon said.
Tigray is the northernmost region of Ethiopia, and is bordered by Eritrea to the north, Sudan to the west, the Afar Region to the east, and the Amhara Region to the south. More than 4 million people reside in the region, and 83 percent of its inhabitants live in rural areas. Recent drought and low agricultural activity, as well as the reduction of natural resources, have contributed to Tigray’s ongoing economic problems and continuing soil erosion. As a result, more than half of the region’s population cannot satisfy their basic needs, and less than half have access to health services. Furthermore, there are only two hospitals in the entire region, and one, which was built in 1928, is in abysmal condition.
As part of his upcoming bar mitzvah, Gideon will be helping Wide Horizons For Children (WHFC) fund the construction of a medical clinic in the Tigray region of Ethiopia.
Massachusetts-based WHFC is one of the largest nonprofit international adoption agencies, placing more than 10,000 children since 1974, and with aid projects in more than 10 countries, and child sponsorship programs in Ethiopia, Guatemala, India and the Philippines, WHFC has helped thousands of children begin to climb out of poverty.
“Tigray is in desperate need of medical help and medical clinics,” said Gideon, who notes that the infant mortality rate in Tigray – 104 infantile deaths per 1,000 infants – is double that of the average global rate – 52 infantile deaths per 1,000 infants.
Come out and play
As part of the community service component of his bar mitzvah, Gideon is organizing Play for Tigray – a community-wide benefit soccer tournament which will take place on Oct. 3 at Dutchess Day School in Millbrook, where Gideon is a student. There are currently 16 schools participating in the event, ranging from Great Barrington, Mass. to Dutchess County; some of them include Rumsey, Steiner, Trinity Pawling, Melrose, Washington Montessori, Mizzentop, Dutchess Day School and two Rhinebeck-based travel teams. Gideon has also asked participating schools to take part in a Play for Tigray Coin Challenge leading up to the event, to see who can raise the most money through coin drops distributed throughout local communities. He is currently selling advertising to area businesses and supporters to create a program for the event. Proceeds from the ads will go directly to the clinic in Tigray.
“He’s doing everything himself. I just have to drive him into town,” said Gideon’s mother Priscilla. “And he’s blowing my mind.”
Even Priscilla was surprised by the living conditions during the family’s trip abroad.
“I guess on some level I understood that there would be a tremendous amount of poverty in terms of food and medical facilities, but the thing that got me the most was that the kids run out to the car begging. They don’t ask for food and they don’t ask for money,” she said. “They ask for a pen or a piece of paper. There are schools in the region – to some degree – but you can’t go to the schools unless you have pen or paper.”
She says that the image has stuck with her. She also says that community’s response to Gideon’s project has been overwhelming.
“Just today somebody called and said they would love to take out a half-page ad,” said Priscilla. “We live in an amazing community, and people have been really supportive.”
At a bar mitzvah it is traditional to receive gifts, but in addition to the benefit tournament, a silent auction, and ad sales, Gideon is asking that instead of gifts, friends and family make donations to his cause.
“We’ve tried to teach all of our kids that you’re only on this planet for a short time, and you’re here to change it for the better,” she said. “It’s a big responsibility.”
A responsibility that Gideon seems to be taking head-on.
“I’m really hoping to make a lot of people aware of the situation,” said Gideon, who began planning the event in the spring. “When I read about the conditions I was shocked by the lack of medical care, and I knew I needed to help.”
Getting involved
The tournament will take place on Oct. 3 at Dutchess Day School on Route 343 in Millbrook from 3 to 6 p.m. For more information on the event, call (845) 876-8731. For ways to help, visit www.whfc.org. If you can’t attend the tournament but wish to make a donation, checks can be made out to Dutchess Day School, Play for Tigray, and mailed to Roan Gideon, 415
