The project is a collaboration between Philia Foundation and MNBC, an association that promotes access to education and sports in Senegal. Through supporting this inclusive basketball camp experience, we strive to contribute to the academic, physical and human development of children from different regions in Senegal.
The project’s objective is to organize basketball camps throughout Senegal and, at the same time, carry out humanitarian and social aid activities on the fringes of these camps. The idea is to assist young participants to get prepared in order to face challenges of adulthood but also to inspire them to believe in their dreams and success.
These 3-day sporting and educational events bring together young players and local coaches who are being introduced to the rigorous training and culture of competitive international basketball game. The camps are usually supervised by Senegalese international basketball players who are excellent role models to young players. Each day consists of 6 hours of training and coaching to perfect the individual techniques of each player, followed by a game to apply acquired skills. There is plenty of time to share experiences and relax after each day of training.
The second MNBC basketball camp was held on 30 July to 2 August 2018 at the Bopp sports complex in Dakar bringing together 68 young players: 19 girls and 49 boys. The programme was managed by Jo Gomis and Thomas Drouault, who are top French coaches, together with 10 Senegalese coaches. All camp participants were provided with a thorough medical check-up by a team of 5 doctors with a medical file created for each young basketball player.
The success of the project is considerable. On the fringes pf the camp, a day of meetings and conferences is also being planned to bring local coaches of various partner clubs, as well as members of the Senegalese Basketball Federation. As part of the project, a donation of specialised equipment to the local clubs is made.