The ExxonMobil Foundation in partnership with the National Basketball Association (NBA) and Africare has given large donation of protective kits to 30 schools in Abuja to support hygiene protection necessary to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic.
The schools received 30,000 masks, 90 new hand washing stations and hand sanitizer, which are all expected to reach 35,000 school community users.
The donations come under the ‘Power Forward’ program inaugurated in 2013 to encourage sports talents in youth aged 14 and above. The initiative uses basketball to teach health literacy, including malaria prevention and personal hygiene, and life skills such as leadership, respect and responsibility, to secondary schools students in Abuja.
Kevin Murphy, ExxonMobil Foundation President, said the firm has leveraged the power of sports and effective collaboration with the NBA and Africare to help young people play the games they love, while receiving the life-skills and public health messages they need to stay healthy.
“Every year, young people graduate these programs with knowledge on how to protect themselves from infectious diseases like malaria and COVID-19,” he said in a statement.
Victor Williams, NBA Africa chief executive said the program has evolved into an annual festivity for the participating schools, noting that the presence of two-time NBA All-Star Victor Oladipo and NBA champion Festus Ezeli will make this year’s virtual event more memorable for participating youths and coaches.
“Nigeria, like other sub-Saharan African countries, is experiencing a youth bulge,” said Robert Mallett, Africare President and CEO. “The Power Forward project has shown year after year that this model of youth leadership is successful and replicable. It is impactful.”
According to him, the program features three elements for success that includes strong partnership for ExxonMobil and the NBA, focused objectives and enthusiastic participants. “That is a winning formula anywhere, anytime, and we are very thrilled to be part of the daily transformations we help to make possible,” Mallett added.
So far, the program has reached over 80,000 youth in schools and communities in need, with nearly 30,000 people participating in past community events.
The ExxonMobil Foundation is the primary philanthropic arm of Exxon Mobil Corporation in the United States. In 2019, the ExxonMobil Foundation, together with Exxon Mobil Corporation, its divisions and affiliates, along with employees and retirees, provided more than $252 million in contributions worldwide.
The NBA is a global sports and media business built around four professional sports leagues including the National Basketball Association, the Women’s National Basketball Association, the NBA G League and the NBA 2K League.
Africare, the largest international non-governmental organization (NGO) focused on Africa has invested over $2 billion in support of people in 36 African countries through partnerships with local communities, NGOs, governments and private sector for more than 40 years.
