ChildFund-The
Gambia, Friday handed over more than 2000
footballs to Gambian children, courtesy of One World Play Project.
The
handing over ceremony was held at the ChildFund Country office in Kanifing.
Country
director Musu Kuta Komma, said the gesture is part of their Gift-in-Kind
program which allows them to complement government efforts in the sectors of
health and education.
She
noted that football is the most popular game in The Gambia in which youth and
children are often seen in the streets, football fields and schools.
She
added that the game serves as a source of unity, understanding and increasing
team spirit among children but also boost their level of confidence and
organisational skills which give them the courage to make their voices heard.
Madam
Komma said in a recent assessment conducted with children of various age
cohorts in one of the communities in ChildFund’s operational areas, children
cited that during football games they feel happy to be at the football grounds
because they believe that the ground is a safe place for them to meet, interact
and discuss a range of issues including child protection concerns, and
community based child protection mechanism.
“With
all this interest in the game, children mostly struggle to get a ball to play
because their parents cannot afford to get them one. Sometimes some would go to
other neighborhoods or communities to secure one which is returned after use,
and sometimes they are compelled to play by turns due to the lack of balls,”
she noted.
According
to her, the initiative of One World Football 2019 is meant for children in all
regions except for Banjul and Kanifing.
Executive
director of National Sports Council, Marcel Mendy described the initiative as a
good gesture from One World play project, saying it will encourage children
that are not interested in football to play.
He
assured ChildFund that the footballs will be put into good use in order to
develop the sport across the country.
Musa
Mbye, a member of ChildFund-The Gambia board of directors thanked their
partners for their support and encouraged them to continue the good work for
Gambians.
One
World play project is made up of passionate driven and fun loving individuals
dedicated to bringing the transformative power of football to youth worldwide,
with combined expertise from the social impact, consumer, entertainment,
sports, technology and product design fields.