A Summary of our Programs
Senegal and Mauritania 2009
Ball for All sponsored its 5th annual soccer league and tournament in the Toubacouta region of Senegal. Close to 800 boys and girls participated in the tournament this year bringing the total number of children to participate in Ball for All programs since it began working in the Toubacouta region to 2500. Scholarships will be given to all female participants that successfully pass their middle school entrance exams.
We also have begun supporting the pioneering efforts of four Peace Corps volunteers in Senegal and Mauritania to promote girls' sports in their communities. Kimberly Washington, a volunteer in southern Mauritania, started the region's first girls' basketball team at the girls' education center where she works. Ball for All is funding her team and hopes to recreate the success it has achieved in Toubacouta by creating a formal girls' basketball league in the area with hundreds of participants. Kimberly with the help of fellow volunteer, Thi Mai, created a powerful video to show the need for more funding of girls' sports in Mauritania. It can be seen on our Youtube Channel.
Senegal 2008
Ball for All sponsored its fourth annual tournament in the Toubacouta region of Senegal with the largest turnout yet. Over 48 teams from 24 villages participated with close to 700 students involved. The tournament also helped bring remote island villages to the mainland to compete as many of these children have had few opportunities to leave their villages. As the popularity of the tournament has grown, many villages have expressed interest in hosting the finals. This year the tournament final was moved to Ndoumbouji, a large village centrally located in the region, which allowed for a large turnout. Next year, the tournament will be moved to a new village in the region. The tournament final also included dance and theatre pieces performed by tournament participants. Ball for all also gave scholarships to 275 participants who successfully completed elementary school and passed their middle school entrance exams.
Senegal 2007
Ball For All sponsored its third major soccer tournament in the Toubacouta region which expanded from the previous year to include 18 villages. In total, 240 girls and 240 boys participated. Hundreds of people, including local government officials and department of education officials attended the tournament. The regional school inspector, who was in attendance, expressed his gratitude to Ball for All and hopes to see more girls' soccer teams established in the country. Ball for All also provided 146 scholarships to tournament participants who successfully completed elementary school and passed their middle school entrance exams. Ball for All financed the building of two school kitchens in the villages of Dasalami Soce and Badoudou. These kitchens allowed the school district to remain in the World Food Programme's school lunch program.
Senegal 2006
Ball For All provided more than 500 uniforms to 26 boys' and girls' soccer teams in 13 villages in the Toubacouta region. Additionally, we donated balls, school supplies, and other soccer equipment to every team. Ball For All paid a year's tuition for each member of the winning girls' team and boys' team in the regional end-of-year tournament.
Working with CODEC (Collectif des Directeurs d'Ecole--the Headmasters of the area schools), we agreed to contribute towards the building of school kitchen/storage areas to help the region’s 32 schools towards retaining their vital food supplement from the World Food Program.
Senegal 2005
2005 was Ball For All’s first venture in Senegal. With the help of Peace Corps volunteer Jeff Chatellier (Senegal 2003-2005) we were able to identify 4 girls’ teams and equip them with new uniforms and balls.
Niger 2004
We conducted a trial run of our team sponsorship idea in Agadez, Niger, on the edge of the Sahara desert. The sheer joy of our experience, and the response we got from parents in Africa and America, convinced us that we had tapped into something special. Ball For All was born.
