The benefits of sports for schools in Africa
From youth leagues where kids 20 kids swarm one soccer ball to professional stadiums packed with hundreds of thousands of fans, sports bring people together. In the unforgiving climate and landscape of sub-Saharan Africa, games can be difficult to organize for an all-too-simple reason: Soccer balls can’t survive. Drop in the Bucket has partnered with the One World Play Project to try and change that,
Drop in the Bucket and our partnership with The One World Play Project
The One World Play Project has developed a ball that feels, bounces and kicks like a standard soccer ball. Though there is one major difference. Thanks to their innovative bladder-less design, these balls never need to be inflated. And they’ve generously donated hundreds of these revolutionary balls to DROP to distribute. We have been enjoying distributing these One World Play Project balls to schools where we’re currently drilling wells.
A healthy childhood, after all, is built around safety, education and fun. DROP already works to improve sanitation in schools throughout the region by building toilets and sinks and showers and by building clean-water wells. When children are healthier, they’re able to attend school regularly. Educational experts also believe that play is an integral part of school. Physical exercise decreases boredom in the classroom and enhances students’ capacity to focus and learn. Sports also help to instill life lessons in a non-school setting.
Think back to the lessons that you learned from sports — the importance of preparation, the value of discipline and the good of being part of a team. These lessons help build children into healthy adults and go hand-in-hand with the mission of hard-working teachers.
Bringing African communities together through sports
It’s important, too, to remember that sports are about fun. In a region finally at peace after more than two decades of war, soccer games can provide short windows of escape for children and adults. We hope that these balls will bring schools from different districts together for fun and healthy, competitive matches.
We see these soccer balls as an opportunity for friendships to be forged, lessons to be learned and communities to come together. The changes we are seeing when children are given these balls are exciting and encouraging. These balls from the One World Play Project are making a huge difference in these schools and we are happy to be a part of that change.