Sport is a key player in driving the agenda for several of the Sustainable Development Goals as Bertrand Willocquet AFD’s Country Director puts across “We want to enhance the sport(basketball) within the youth because we think it is a major stride to achieve the SDGs.”
Young people are growing fast to become the adults of the future, their health is, therefore, an important carrier of this hope, and promoting it is inevitably, a global responsibility. The participation of young people in sports reduces the chances of developing non- communicable diseases that cause about 3.2 million deaths annually around the world. The project therefore addresses SDG 3 by reducing a sedentary lifestyle among young people through participation in sports.
Secondly, as a team sport, basketball espouses values crucial in creating well-adjusted citizens of the world as sought by SGD 16 that promotes peace justice, and strong institutions. The project not only aims at equipping young people with sporting skills but also life skills that will foster the creation of strong, peaceful, and just institutions through collaboration and peaceful coexistence. “As a team sport, the game teaches you to look after the affairs of your teammates and the community.” Says Mr. Willocquet.
From the selection of the coaches and trainers to the students who benefit from the program, gender equality is central. “We think that sports is a very important driver to reducing gender inequality. Access to sports for girls is very important as professionals and trainers and maybe as managers in the future.” Says he. Sports in the model implemented by the project, act not just as a safe space for girls and women, but also as a nurturing nest for the next generation of leaders therefore reducing the wide gap between women and leadership.
Lastly, to address SDG 4 on access to quality education, the inclusion of quality physical education prioritizes a holistic approach to learning. Sports promote learners’ physical literacy which is linked to other learning outcomes. Additionally, sports through physical education challenge strict definitions laid out in formal curricula by expanding the concept of education and promoting the idea that, education cannot just be confined to classrooms.
The basketball court, as has been seen in Morocco, Nigeria, and Senegal, is a critical classroom outside the traditional definition of a classroom.