Basketball For Good projects empowering women through sports

MIES - On the occasion of International Women's Day, FIBA's Foundation, the International Basketball Foundation (IBF), would like to join in on the celebrations and the empowerment of women and girls around the world.

International Women's Day celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women and strives to raise awareness for gender equality throughout the world.

The IBF is proud to have the inclusion of women and girls at the core of all its humanitarian projects. Its mission is to use the power of basketball as a catalyst to initiate positive change and help build stronger communities, which can only be done through gender equality.

In the six Basketball For Good projects which the IBF is currently running, the aim is to have an equal number of male and female beneficiaries. We encourage women and girls to be active and become empowered through basketball.

Veronique (pictured above) is one of 200 girls and boys across two schools in Antananarivo to receive basketball training, school supplies and hot meals through our project in Madagascar.

"I joined the basketball team in May and ever since I've become more confident, been able to make more friends and I'm happier. My goal is to join the Malagasy national basketball team." 

Click here to find out more about our project in Madagascar.

Our project in Namibia involves giving students of the Basketball Artists School (BAS) access to basketball facilities and equipment. Petrina Aron (above), a 17-year-old student from Windhoek, is part of the program.

"It’s a really good feeling to be on the basketball court because I love the sport and I always look forward to games and tournaments. It always gets me excited because it's something I love," she said.

"Sport has really done a lot in my life. I think sports, especially basketball, kept me away from the streets, it made me a better person and it taught me a lot of things like life skills and morals. Honestly, I think I am what I am now because of sports and the things I’ve been doing through sports."

Frank Albin, Founder of BAS, stresses the importance of providing girls like Petrina with mentoring and guidance.

"At the Basketball Artists School, girls and women have always been an essential part of the program. Some of our girls who started eight years ago are now coaches or tutors and one of them is even a board member of the BAS Foundation," he pointed out. "All our girls come from difficult family backgrounds, so it is very important to support them with life skills and social work. We provide a safe haven for them and through sports they have been able to overcome serious challenges in their lives. Two girls went to university this year, which makes us very proud and counts one million times more than winning a championship."

Some of FIBA's National Member Federations also run Basketball For Good projects. Here is an overview of projects in the pacific that have women and girls at their core:

Kiribati

The Kiribati Basketball Federation (KBF) took part in government ministries event this International Women's Day which was celebrated at the Betio Basketball Complex. As the biggest event officially recognized by the Government of Kiribati, KBF Hoops for Health Coordinator Tokintemate Arobati was thrilled to be invited.

"Not only does it prove the good relationship between the Kiribati Government and our Basketball Federation, but it was also a terrific opportunity to promote the involvement of women from the different ministries in basketball," he said. "The Government expressed their interest in an inter-government 3x3 Competition for women and we were excited to be able to provide that to them. 14 women’s teams signed up!"

KBF are no strangers to using basketball to empower the women and girls of Kiribati. They have frequently used their Hoops for Health program to run female-friendly basketball clinics and female-only fun-days.

"The women of Kiribati are shy to participate not just in basketball, but in any sport. So we try and address these barriers by making our women's programs in places that the women feel comfortable," Arobati went on.

Female volunteer and former FIBA Pacific Youth Leader Basketball Camp participant, Turia Nakuau said: "Hoops for Health is for women. It gives us a chance to learn and practice our basketball skills."

Click here to find about more about the Kiribati project.

A primary school participant from Tarawa, Kiribati, takes part in a Hoops for Health session

Government Departments gather at Beito Basketball Complex to celebrate International Women’s Day in Kiribati

Fiji

The small island nation of the Republic of Fiji also run women's empowerment programs using basketball through the Basketball Federation of Fiji (BF)'s Mum’s A Hero program. Often BF partner with the Ministry of Health or a women's empowerment group to deliver a healthy lifestyles presentation coupled with an opportunity to learn and tryout their basketball skills session. Spearheading that program is young mother, Tiyana Kainamoli who, at 19, has represented Fiji playing basketball more than any other person her age. She was the youngest member of the Fiji's senior women's national team, making her debut at just 15.

But Tiyana is not alone in promoting women in basketball in Fiji.

BF try to include women and girls in all their programs. This includes Hoops for Health in the schools where gender equality is always a focus. The Assistant Principal of Veiuto Primary School in Suva Fiji, Mrs Mere Waqavakatoga, was really enthusiastic when Hoops for Health came to her school. A mother of five girls, she could see how a program like this would benefit the students at her school.

"The students really look forward to the clinics and the school uses it as a motivational tool to encourage the kids to come to school regularly," she said.

Waqavakatoga firmly believes that basketball and the Hoops for Health program is having a tremendous positive effect on the students of Veiuto.

"I'm also always encouraging and pushing my daughters to be involved in sports even though they are girls," she said when interviewed by BF's Hoops for Health Coordinator Kenneth Tailu. "And me too! Sport is not only for the youth, but for all ages!"

Girls of all ages participating in BF's programs Hoops for Health and Mum’s A Hero

Papua New Guinea

The focus of the Basketball Federation of Papua New Guinea (BFPNG)'s Basketball for Good programs has been on reducing youth crime and promoting opportunities for all young people, regardless of their socio-economic or racial backgrounds.

However, they also saw an opportunity to replicate the Mum's A Hero program being delivered by their counterparts across the Pacific. The program in PNG has its own twist whereby the federation partners with the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary (RPNGC)'s Gender Unit to go out into communities and educate women on their rights and the support mechanisms available to them.

"We are running a special Mum's A Hero event just to celebrate International Women's Day," commented former Hoops for Health Coordinator Delicia Liri. "There are so many inspiring women involved in and leading basketball in PNG so it’s a day that means a lot to us."

A female participant taking the time to talk to a AFP Police Officer volunteering her time

Two girls walk on the basketball courts talking to one another after one of BFPNG's Twilight Basketball programs.

The Hoops for Health programs in Fiji, Kiribati and PNG are made possible through the support of the International Basketball Foundation and the Australian Government’s Pacific Sporting Partnerships program.

Timor-Leste

The National Basketball Federation of Timor-Leste (FNBTL) have been running gender-specific basketball programs for the empowerment of women and girls for the last two years.

"There are not many programs specifically for women in Timor," commented National Basketball Development Officer Jose Julio. "The women always thank us when we visit their communities and ask when will we be coming back."

The program has reached more than 900 women in 2017 alone.

Young mothers from a village outside of Dili, Timor-Leste having a go at Basketball for the first time during a Mum’s A Hero session.

 FIBA