Basketball: 200 students set to benefit in IBF project

By Geoffrey Asiimwe A total of 200 students from two primary schools located in Muhanga and Rubavu districts have been selected to benefit from International Basketball Foundation (IBF) project that was launched in the country this week by Jean Michel Ramaroson, a board member of IBF in charge of Africa. The 200 students in the age range of 10-12 years were selected from the Primary school of GACUBA II/A from Muhanga district and Ecole Primaire Saint André from Rubavu district by Rwanda Basketball Federation—each school providing 100 students; 50 boys and 50 girls. The selected students will be equipped with basic skills by three trained coaches from their respective schools in a period of three years (2016-2019) with a main objective of providing social support in terms of scholastic materials like uniforms, books, shoes and paying health insurance for the students and their families. “The aim of this project is to develop basketball at a young age but with a special concept of mixing the sport with social support in primary schools, and after three years we hope that the federation will develop another concept with other partners to carry this project forward,” said Ramaroson. Rwanda is among only three countries in Africa that have been selected to benefit in this program—others are Uganda and Mozambique. In a separate interview, FERWABA technical director Shema Maboko said; “We are very grateful for this project because it is going to help us in promoting awareness of the sport through young ones but more important acting as a motivation through this support to them and their families.” IBF was founded in 2008 by FIBA, the International Basketball Federation. The Foundation is the social, educational 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. Its main areas of activities are educational programmes for administrators, the management of FIBA’s archives, the establishment, housing and promotion of basketball’s history and memorabilia as well as the FIBA Hall of Fame. editorial@newtimes.co.rw

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Basketball: 200 students set to benefit in IBF project