BPW 2015 - (S)He got game !

<p>  </p> <p> <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="304" src="//cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fembed%2FrzIsuolyKKo%3Fwmode%3Dopaque%26feature%3Doembed&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DrzIsuolyKKo&amp;image=http%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FrzIsuolyKKo%2Fhqdefault.jpg&amp;key=ff2702755d9749cda571c6d6c2f3eb46&amp;type=text%2Fhtml&amp;schema=youtube" width="540"></iframe></p> <p>  </p> <p>  </p> <p> For the past two years, basketball has enabled us to meet and interact with young boys and girls from different cities in Togo. Our goal with this camp is to support these boys and girls in building their future, to create an environment where they can learn and have fun through sports, and to rewarrd the most deserving, without ethnic or social distinctions.</p> <p>  </p> <p> In 2014, three of our LYSD participants took part in the NBA’s West African Development Camp and 2 other participants entered the <a href="http://www.africanleadershipacademy.org/" target="_blank">African Leadership Academy,</a> based in Johannesburg, South Africa. In addition to these great successes, LYSD has reached between 2000 to 2500 young boys and girls in its various projects that took place in ten Togolese villages. </p> <p>  </p> <p>  </p> <p> <strong>He = She</strong></p> <p>  </p> <p> Each year, we associate a theme with our <i>Basketball Promotion Week. </i>In 2015, the theme will be gender equality. After having battled sexual inequality through our letitmove program, we decided to address and challenge the issue of gender inequality at our BPW. In order to address the issue of gender inequality, we chose to invite Sydney Haydel, a distinguished female, to supervise the program.</p> <p>  </p> <p> Like our previous guests- Jacques Vandescure (San Antonio Spurs) and Franck Traore (NBA Africa), Sydney has a rich amount of international basketball experience. <a href="http://youtu.be/5kxw6i_j1m4" target="_blank">Syndey thoroughly enjoyed her time working in India for NBA India</a>, which motivated her to keep working for international basketball programs, and instantly drew her to our say yes to our proposition to work with BPW in Togo.</p> <p>  </p> <p> She will be in charge of the girls on the basketball playgrounds and she will train LYSD educators in order to create a basketball program specially designed for girls for the school year 2015-2016. She will also mentor and create exchanges with the male participants so as to change their perspectives on gender equality. </p> <p>  </p> <p> <img alt="Sydney_en_inde_2-1425579688" src="https://d3v4jsc54141g1.cloudfront.net/uploads/project_image/image/170207/Sydney_en_Inde_2-1425579688.jpg"></p> <p>  </p> <p>  </p> <p> Our ambition is to make sports accessible to the largest number of people possible. After building a playground in the village of Kouyé for the BPW 2014, we will renovate a playground in Tomégbé, a village located 6 hours from Lomé, the capital of Togo.</p> <p>  </p> <p> We were contacted by Elvis, a young Ivorian refugee who fled the Ivorian civil war and has integrated in the village of Tomégbé thanks to basketball. Determined and dynamic, Elvis now is in charge of training and weekly French lessons for 15 of our participants. In addition, although Elvis has had to deal with training on a basketball court often unplayable because of rain and rarely has material, he has managed to create a competitive basketball environment in his village. </p> <p>  </p> <p> Just like in Kouyé, we want to renovate the basketball court in Tomégbé and we will help Elvis with his programming so that the boys and girls in Tomégbé can regularly practice sports in the best conditions possible. Additionally, in November 2015, Tomégbé will be integrated into a program with Milédou. </p> <p>  </p> <p> <img alt="20150220_173942-1425319284" src="https://d3v4jsc54141g1.cloudfront.net/uploads/project_image/image/168784/20150220_173942-1425319284.jpg"></p> <p>  </p> <p>  </p> <p> Our program has expanded thanks to our ever growing network of people and supporters. Close to 200 of you have donated to our organization over the past two years. Sometimes, the donations have been as simple as a like on facebook or a tweet which allows us to grow. </p> <p>  </p> <p> We are so glad with the path LYSD has taken us on in the past two years, and we are convinced that the best is yet to come! </p> <p>  </p> <p> Thank you for everything,</p> <p>  </p> <p> Kintuadi &amp; LYSD teams</p> <p> #ShakeThingUp</p> <p> #OnEstEnsemble</p> <p> #AfricaIsRising</p> <p> #MoreThanAGame</p> <p>  </p>