With AIDS-related deaths across Africa continuing to skyrocket, and opportunities for kids to enjoy healthy physical activities staying stagnant, the Cameroun government is among the first African countries that are embracing the Game On! Youth Sports Africa program.

 

In Cameroun,the Ministry of Sports allocated $20,000 from its budget to launch the Game On! Youth Sports program. Close to 600 children, adults, sports coordinators and dignitaries attended the official launch of the program at the Omnisport Annex Stadium in Yaounde. Additional funding will come from the International Alliance For Youth Sports (IAYS), and equipment will be donated to the program through the IAYS Global Gear Drive, which collects new and used sporting equipment from throughout the world and sends it to communities in need.

 

“The country of Cameroun believes strongly in the value of sports to help improve the mental, emotional and physical health of children,” said Rosaline Afor-Amba, from the Ministry of Sport and Physical Education in Cameroun. “Most importantly, sports play a key role in the prevention of antisocial behaviors such as crime and promiscuity among children.”

 

Zambia is another African country that has implemented the program, and already government officials are raving about its success, excited about the future of Game On! Youth Sports across the continent.

 

“It is our desire and hope that this program will be replicated in other African countries as a way of broadening the foundation of sport in Africa,” Lupando Mwape, the vice president of Zambia.

 

Game On is an effort of the IAYS to make a positive difference in young lives through sports. The IAYS operates under the umbrella of the National Alliance For Youth Sports, America’s leading advocate for positive, safe youth sports.

 

The goal of Game On! Youth Sports is to allow all children the opportunity to be introduced to sports by teaching them the skills and giving them the knowledge of individual sports through the school system, as well as the opportunities to participate in sports under a supervised program in their leisure time. The IAYS provides training for instructors and continuous support throughout the program.

 

“Children in Africa need, more than ever, a program to build their self confidence, give them hope and be an effective tool in fighting negative influences and behaviors,” said Fred Engh, president of the IAYS. “The Game On program is easy to implement, and will give every child in Africa a chance to play.”

 

In May, more than 100 delegates from throughout Africa took part in the first-ever Game On African Summit in Lusaka, Zambia. The historic event focused on uniting the African continent under the Game On banner, and providing leaders in their respective countries with a valuable resource to combat the negative influences such as HIV/AIDS, drug abuse and crime that are destroying countless young lives every day.

 

During the Summit, experts from the IAYS explained how Game On fits into the school and community sports programs in many African countries. Attendees had the opportunity to visit one of the schools that have already benefited from the Game On program. The school, called Munali, has a project run in partnership with Sport In Action. Sport In Action is one of several groups that comprise Kicking AIDS Out!, an international network of organizations working together to use sport and physical activity as a means to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS.

 

“The environment faced by today’s African child presents a spectrum of AIDS, loss of parents, obesity, hunger, war, boredom, illiteracy and many other stressful aspects,” said Clement Chileshe, the African representative for Game On! Youth Sports, and executive director of Sport In Action. “There is a cry that is increasingly piercing my ears and heart every day I wake up; it is the cry of the child, the cry that calls for help. Regardless of the child’s background and experience, I have seen sport provide a safe, fun, educative, interactive and developmental platform. It puts a smile on that child and turns the cry to laughter.”

 

Game On has already been successful countries such as Mexico, Trinidad, St. Kitts-Nevis and the initial Game On participant country of Dominica, a Caribbean country gripped by poverty. In the past two years in Dominica, Game On has been brought to many schools, and the country recently celebrated the program’s success witha Game On! Youth Sports Festival.

  

“It is working fantastic in schools,” said Loreen Bannis-Roberts, the Minister of State in Dominica. “The whole idea is not to leave any child behind, and so far we have about 1,500 children involved.”

 

The IAYS is committing U.S. $100,000 to the implementation of Game On in Africa, which includes the construction of the Munali Game On baseball fields. It has also already sent thousands of dollars worth of sports equipment and apparel to Zambia.