Project Hope Namibia recently donated sports equipment to eight schools that have a Change Boys to Into Men (CBIM) programne in the Oshikoto region.
The donated items include 50 soccer balls, whistles and chessboards. The event took place at Nantu offices in Omuthiya.
Director of education in Oshikoto, Aletta Eises welcomed the gesture, stating that the donation will immensely contribute towards the sporting and education system and that Project Hope is doing it for the future generation of this country.
“Project Hope is doing a tremendous job, through coaching boys into men (CBIM) prevention programme that promotes gender equity, respectable behaviour, and non-violence relationships among boys between 9-14 age group,” she said.
Eises acknowledged that investing in sport is a good thing, because sport creates desire, discipline, dedication, diligence, determination, self-esteem, and reduces stress. Sport leads to excellent academic performance and thus plays a critical role in a person’s life, she added.
Oshikoto has 221 schools with a total number of 75 850 boys, and Eises believes the sporting equipment will not only contribute to the success of coaching boys into men, but will also promote responsible behaviour and produce well-groomed boys in both academics and sports.
Project Hope is a Namibian based organisation funded by the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief through the US Agency for International Development.
It has been implementing HIV-related programmes since 2002 with the goal to reduce the impact of transmission and spread of HIV through a comprehensive and community-based response. It has offices in Tsumeb, Omuthiya and Onandjokwe, catering 28 facilities.
Orano Mining donates football gear
Meanwhile, Orano Mining Namibia donated soccer kits to the value of N$15 000 to two junior teams of the Mondesa Football Academy in Swakopmund.
The initiative is a community outreach programme for youth in Mondesa, managed on a voluntary basis by three local chefs. The kits are for the U/15 and U/17 teams.
During a handover ceremony, Orano Mining Namibia Managing Director, Tommie Gouws commended the volunteers managing the club for their work among the youth. He further encouraged the boys to work hard for their dreams, as one can see from recent achievements by Namibians in sport in the international arena.
Orano Mining Namibia considers youth development through sport as an important focus area for its corporate social investment strategy, and has continued to support various initiatives in the field of soccer, most notably youth soccer teams and events within the Erongo region, Gouws said.
- jskajoso@gmail.com (MICT)
- christine.de-klerk.ext@orano.group