Hoops For Health Program Launched in Seychelles

MAHÉ (Seychelles) - As part of the FIBA Foundation’s Basketball For Good Community Impact projects, the Hoops For Health program has formally been launched in the Seychelles.

A two-day workshop on September 9 and 10, 2022 saw enthusiastic participation and engagement from all primary and secondary schools in Mahé, which were represented by at least one physical education (PE) teacher each.

Hoops For Health: From Pacific to Indian Ocean

Originally designed for National Federations within the Pacific Islands by the FIBA regional office in Oceania, the Hoops For Health program is a proactive attempt to combat the high incidence of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) among the populations in these regions.

The expansion of Hoops For Health to an archipelagic country like the Seychelles, off the eastern coast of Africa in the Indian Ocean, seems, but natural. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), NCDs account for 81% of all deaths in the Seychelles.

“The goal of this interactive workshop was to educate the PE teachers about healthy lifestyles through grassroots basketball exercises to reduce non-communicable diseases. This was a joint decision by all stakeholders to focus on this social element to help improve the habits of Seychellois youth,” said FIBA Foundation Manager Theren Bullock Jr.

Building Basketball Skills and Overall Wellbeing

Through a series of 10 topics, Hoops For Health combines fun basketball drills with health and nutrition education. The low-on-resource 3x3 format is relied on a key tool in executing the play-based games detailed in the curriculum.

The Seychelles Basketball For Good program will be a three-year community impact project funded by the local branch of Bahrain-headquartered Al Salam Bank.

Along with FIBA Foundation representatives, Al Salam Bank Seychelles’ CEO Asim Kumar and Seychelles Basketball Federation Executive Member Riard Balette opened the workshop on Friday with welcome speeches. Seychelles’ Principal Secretary for Educational Services Merna Eulentin and National Sports Council CEO Jean Larue were other key stakeholders integral to the successful rollout of the program.

Two-Day Workshop for PE Teachers

While Friday’s sessions provided a general introduction to relevant topics related to Basketball For Good, Saturday saw practical sessions familiarizing the participants with game-based activities to learn basketball fundamentals and the Hoops For Health curriculum.

It is expected that the PE teachers will now implement their action plans created at the workshop within their respective schools across Mahé.

“Speaking for all PE teachers, I would like to thank the FIBA Foundation for coming to our country and teaching us about Basketball For Good to improve the health and wellbeing of our students and all Seychellois youth,” Clothilde Marie, a participating teacher from Anse Aux Pins Primary School, said.

The final part of the program will culminate in a ‘Basketball For Good Festival’ bringing together students from the participating schools to share their learnings.

After an evaluation of the first year, the program will be continued in 2023 and 2024.

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The FIBA Foundation is the social and legacy arm of FIBA that addresses the role of sports and particularly basketball in society, preserving and promoting basketball’s values and its cultural heritage.

The FIBA Foundation believes that basketball has the power to empower, educate and inspire youth and facilitates this by implementing Basketball For Good projects around the world.

FIBA