For the past 25 years, I have been sending shipments of donated soccer equipment to disadvantaged children in 30 countries — Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Kosovo, El Salvadore, Vietnam, Nepal, Cambodia, Armenia, Iran, Mexico, Philippines, Guatemala, Peru, Gaza, Malaysia, Croatia and Albania. This outfitted 30,000 kids in those countries to play soccer.

In April 2015, Air Canada delivered 1,700 pounds of donated soccer equipment to Beirut and covered all expenses from airport to airport. It is destined for children in Syrian refugee camps in Lebanon. When it arrived in Lebanon, the customs officials refused to release the used soccer gear (shirts, jerseys, socks, balls, shoes, net, etc.) They are demanding an import tax and customs fee totalling $3,500 plus $60 a day for storage. It's the first time anything like this has happened.

I've just been told that I have until July 22 to pay the custom fees, which now total close to $6,000. If I don't, the equipment will be confiscated.

I need to raise $6,000+ to pay the fee to get the equipment out of the airport and into the kids' hands. Here's a story in the North Shore News about it: http://www.nsnews.com/news/west-vancouver-soccer-donations-for-syrian-refugee-kids-stuck-in-beirut-airport-1.1928757.

To raise the money, I'm offering a one-day soccer workshop in Ambleside for 20 kids on August 9, 2015. I am a certified coach and referee with BC Soccer and your $50 donation doubles as a registration fee. At the end of the workshop, the players can come back to my barber shop for a free haircut.

Participants will be doing both technical and physical training in the following order

A - training, teaching (mental and physical sessions )

B  - development (skills and drills)

C  -elite training

D - early development ( all ages )

E - showcase matches

F - micro soccer and rules

G- introductory and lecture , (games. Rules.fifa ,fields.,coaches.referee.,world cup.

H - tactical play,physical fitness., mental agility, leadership, micro soccer tournaments, games.

If you go to the perks bar at the right hand side of this page and choose the $50 soccer workshop option, that is your registration for the camp. At the end of the day, If you want more information about the workshop, please call me at 604-281-2844 or or 778-318-5167, email michelhd@shaw.ca or drop by West Van Barber Shop at 1345 Marine Drive in Ambleside.

Here's a video with CBC's Shane Foxman http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/barber-michel-ibrahim-gets-a-kick-out-of-soccer-gear-donations-1.2840072.

and an interview with Global TV's Elaine Yong: http://globalnews.ca/news/1648149/west-vancouver-barber-looking-for-soccer-donations-for-kids-in-syria/

PLEASE! Donate to this campaign or sign up for the workshop. With your help we can kick off this campaign!