Why is it important to support sports in schools?

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Here at One Person we agree with article 31 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which states that play and sports are a child’s right.  We believe in the concept of sport for development – that sport is not just an end in itself, but also an effective tool to help improve the lives of children, families and communities.

Participating in sports allows young men to have a sense of pride and something to strive towards and for girls it additionally allows them to have status and opportunities they do not usually receive. Even the presence of one soccer ball can increase school attendance, which is doubly important as most schools have HIV Prevention Programs.

Some schools do allow girls to take part in soccer but in Tanzania the girls primarily play netball, and One Person ensures that half of the uniforms are given to netball teams.

And of course - everyone is entitled to some fun!

For more information, to volunteer or to make a donation contact me , mail to The One Person Project, 10108 Julia Street, Summerland, B.C. V0H 1Z5  donate on-line or make a payment into our account at the Summerland Credit Union (Summerland, British Columbia).  

               Strengthen one person - strengthen the family - strengthen the community.

Kahama District - Distributing the Shipping Container Resources / 2013

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Dr Andrew and Athanis happy to see the shipping container arrive at the Kahama District Hospital. The leaves on the Kahama Friendship tree were purchased and signed by our supporters in Canada;  we raise around $16,000 to purchase and ship each container. See the Nov. 9th 2012 blog for a list of contents.

Beds and other medical resources were carried in to the hospital and a further160 barrels and boxes went to the Amani Clubhouse at the far end of the compound. Classroom and teacher resources were taken into the Teacher Resource Centre, and library and text books were transferred to the previous shipping container to be stored before processing. Both beautifully decorated containers have been donated to the hospital.

LeAnne, Brenda and a team of helpers from the hospital spent a 12 hour day visiting 11 schools in 11 remote villages to distribute soccer/netball uniforms and pumps and balls.

The children hold messages thanking Iron Man Canada for the donated shirts

A decent soccer ball costs $50 US, about as much as many Tanzanians earn a month in a full time job!

One Person believes in the concept of sport for development – that sport is not just an end in itself, but also an effective tool to help improve the lives of children, families and communities. Participating in sports allows young men to have a sense of pride and something to strive towards and allows girls to have status and opportunities they do not usually receive. Even the presence of one soccer ball can increase school attendance, which is doubly important as most schools and sports teams have HIV Prevention Programs.

Next the truck headed out to the men's woodworking co-op in Llomelo. We passed on donations of hand/power tools and a much needed generator.

The delivery team were entertained with food, and traditional dance and music. The woodworkers then presented Brenda with this beautiful wooden map of the Shinyanga Region (North Tanzania) with the district of Kahama in the middle.

 We have supported the Llomelo men's co-op for a number of years, donating tools and commissioning desks and tables for the Kahama Teacher Resource Centre.  The photos below are from the 2012 trip.

Before

And after

 Strengthen one person - strengthen the family - strengthen the community

For more information or to make a donation contact me , mail to The One Person Project, 10108 Julia Street, Summerland, B.C. V0H 1Z5 or donate on-line  

What we do

Most non-profit organizations focus on one or two areas of need; One Person has chosen to develop five distinct projects:

Children & Families 

Education

School Sports

Medical

Small Business/Cooperatives

This fits in with our unique community-to-community concept of utilising the diverse interests and specialities of one community to help provide sustainable support for a specific community in need.

We regularly ship equipment and resources to support these projects. We also recruit professional and non-professional volunteers to ensure that we are on track, to identify needs, distribute items and provide training in our sponsor communities.

Brenda and various One Person Teams visited our target communities in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 201l.  The 2012 and 2013 trips are being planned. Volunteers welcomed!

Each One Person project is focussed on providing a more hopeful future for children and families in our target communities. We provide support for the present, which does not compromise the ability of future generations to meet their own needs, but instead provides a foundation for self-sustainability.

(Donate - to make a difference! Asante - thank you!)