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Home / Ohangwena and Oshana regions get new sports grounds
Ohangwena and Oshana regions get new sports grounds
2017-02-27Staff Report 2 Staff Reporter Eenhana-The German Ambassador to Namibia Christian-Matthias Schlaga, joined by Sunday Haitembu, regional representative from the Ministry of Sport, Youth and National Service, handed over newly constructed and rehabilitated sports grounds to the Eenhana Multipurpose Youth Resource Centre and Valombola VTC in the north of Namibia last week. The joyful occasion was attended and witnessed by hundreds of young children, coaches, community members and representatives of all stakeholders. German Development Cooperation seeks to use sport as a tool for youth development, education and the adoption of a healthy lifestyle. “Through sport activities, young people also learn important soft skills. For example, you struggle with an adversary team on the field, but you reconcile thereafter. That is an important learning process,” emphasized the ambassador. Richwell Lukongo, chief operations officer of the Namibia Training Authority, spoke of the strong influence sport can have on the educational sector. “Sport for development in education is about promoting personal development and strengthening competencies relevant for employability, as well as for leading a healthy life through sports activities.” After the official handover ceremony a basketball tourney for young players from Eenhana was held to inaugurate the basketball field, and was organized by junior coaches who have been trained through the project ‘Free Throw - Basketball Artists against HIV & AIDS’ by the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) and German Development Cooperation. “I have learned important skills for my life through basketball and this is a big achievement for me,” said the 17-year-old junior coach Tangi Erickson. The finalized new sports grounds are an important step to use sport more extensively as a way of achieving development policy goals in Namibia. All involved partners are working on concepts for the management of the sports grounds and related sport for development concepts to ensure the sustainability and local anchorage of the programme. The Sport for Development in Africa Programme of the German Development Cooperation has successfully constructed and rehabilitated volleyball, netball and basketball fields at Valombola VTC in Ongwediva and a basketball field at the Eenhana Multipurpose Youth Resource Centre. As it stands, more than 14 400 children and young people are to benefit from the new sports grounds. Moreover, the sports grounds will serve as a safe place for young people to meet and socialize, and will also offer qualified coaches the opportunity to conduct sport for developmental purposes. 2017-02-27Staff Report 2
