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Oil major, ExxonMobil, the National Basketball Association (NBA) and an international non-government organisation, Africare, have in Abuja restated their commitment to addressing public health challenges in Nigeria through health literacy and life skills.
Director, Basketball Operations for Africa, NBA, Guesbeogo Traore, said the youth initiative, called Power Forward, which started five years ago has impacted over 12,500 students this year.
Overall, through its programming and community outreach, the programme has reached 700 students from 30 schools in Abuja to date, the group said.
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Traore said with basketball, the programme would continue to reduce the global burden of public health, especially malaria.
He added that there was need for young minds to learn about malaria and educate their communities.
“In 2018, the programme reached close to 12,500 youth in school and vulnerable communities with life skills information, provided more than 6,500 persons with malaria prevention strategies and treatment and established 20 hand wash stations to promote hygiene and promote exemplary leadership skills; almost 5,000 students were engaged on plastic waste management awareness campaigns with 300 female students from the 10 project schools were engaged in a Menstrual Hygiene Management Awareness programme” he added.
Traore said the initiative would also serve as a platform to assist talented kids to discover and nurture their basketball skills.
Disclosing that Power Forward is also part of the NBA’s Junior initiative, he said during the 2017-18 season, the Junior NBA reached more than 26 million youth in 71 countries through a variety of camps, clinics, skills challenges, league play and outreach events.
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