FIBA celebrates International Day of the Girl

OCEANIA – In celebration of International Day of the Girl, FIBA.basketball takes a look at the Basketball for Good (B4G) initiative being run in five different countries across the Oceania region.

On the surface, the Pacific is a beautiful place filled with breathtaking scenery and friendly welcoming people which for the most part is true. But, the people throughout the Pacific also have to deal with poverty, non-communicable diseases and in some areas a lack of gender equality.

Under the Basketball for Good initiative, FIBA’s Mum’s a Hero program aims to help a people combat these issues. Focusing predominately on Mothers and children, this program has used basketball as a tool to positively impact many people’s lives. FIBA in Oceania President Mr. Burton Shipley can attest to this impact after he visited Timor and met a very thankful participant of the program.

Mr. Shipley in Timor-Leste enjoy a Mum's a Hero clinic

Timor-Leste started their Mum’s a Hero program two years ago and has seen 1,428 girls from the age of 0-24 come through their program, many of whom are young mothers themselves. The Basketball Federation of Papua New Guinea is the latest federation to adopt the Mum’s a Hero program to address gender-based violence and promote health and well-being through exercise.

Most recently, the Vanuatu Basketball Federation joined Vanuatu Women in Sport Day celebrations introducing 100+ women to 11 different sports including 3x3 basketball. Fiji joined the celebrations with the Fiji Girl Guides dropping by for some basketball activity.

FIBA is proud to support women and girls on and off the court through the Mum’s a Hero program.

Taking a quick break during Kiribati's Basketball for Good program Source: Aaron Kearney - ABC

Learning some fundamentals in Fiji

Teamwork is key in PNG 

Identifying food groups in Vanuatu

FIBA’s Mum’s a Hero program would not be possible without Australian Government funding through the Pacific Sports Partnership program.

FIBA