Lilongwe, Malawi, May 05: The government of Malawi has secured US $220,000 sponsorship from the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) to carry out various sporting activities in some of the selected primary schools in 11 districts of the country.
Malawi Sports Minister, Grace Chiumia said government has come with the initiative because for so long primary schools sporting activities in the country have been shunned by corporate sponsors who have been reluctant to invest on the grass root level.
“When we approached Unicef to consider partnering us in promoting education and sports they readily agreed,” she said.
The initiative will involve 10 selected school teams from each the districts slugging it out in the games of soccer, netball and volleyball.
Malawi Sports Minister, Grace Chiumia said government has come with the initiative because for so long primary schools sporting activities in the country have been shunned by corporate sponsors who have been reluctant to invest on the grass root level.
“When we approached Unicef to consider partnering us in promoting education and sports they readily agreed,” she said.
The initiative will involve 10 selected school teams from each the districts slugging it out in the games of soccer, netball and volleyball.
Minister Chiumia noted that the initiative will not only be decisive in identifying raw sporting talent but it will be critical in promoting the health being of the young athletes and enhance their academic performance.
She also observed that this initiative is part of the 2013 strategic plan Malawi government and Malawi Olympic Committee (MOC) formulated to develop grass root athletes, so that they would effectively compete and bring medals from global and continental contests.
“We can only do this if we have stable sponsorship at primary and secondary school levels. This partnership with Unicef is part of that,” observed Chiumia.
The initiative is also part of UNICEF’s “Action for Adolescent Girls” in which government is using sports to encourage more girls to remain in schools and to avoid early marriages.
Meanwhile, the minister has disclosed that the government has entered into negotiations with some organisations and corporate companies to consider the possibility of extending the same initiative in the remaining 17 districts of the country.
She also observed that this initiative is part of the 2013 strategic plan Malawi government and Malawi Olympic Committee (MOC) formulated to develop grass root athletes, so that they would effectively compete and bring medals from global and continental contests.
“We can only do this if we have stable sponsorship at primary and secondary school levels. This partnership with Unicef is part of that,” observed Chiumia.
The initiative is also part of UNICEF’s “Action for Adolescent Girls” in which government is using sports to encourage more girls to remain in schools and to avoid early marriages.
Meanwhile, the minister has disclosed that the government has entered into negotiations with some organisations and corporate companies to consider the possibility of extending the same initiative in the remaining 17 districts of the country.
By: Joel Chirwa
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