Thank you for your support!

A team of 24 survivors of gender-based violence (GBV) in Mogadishu, Somalia’s war-torn capital, will be hitting the basketball court and classrooms with brand-new equipment, gear and school supplies, thanks to your compassion and generous contributions.

The Global Enrichment Foundation (GEF) is the proud sponsor of ‘The Elephants’ – one of the few women’s basketball teams in Somalia and the second to be supported by GEF’s Hoops for Hope program. Two decades of war have made Somalia one of the most oppressive places on earth for women and girls. It is rare for them to play sports – to have any fun at all.

And playing a sport in not just about the game. Participation cultivates teamwork, leadership, dialogue, friendship and physical fitness – important aspects of any young women’s life. Your donations give these survivors a chance to build a strong team together, on and off the court.

These women will receive their very own gym bag, along with a basketball, running shoes, tracksuit, jersey, water bottle, skipping rope, socks, and a personal hygiene kit. They will also receive a backpack full of school supplies.

GEF would like to send a special thank you to Amanda Small, a phys-ed teacher at Memorial Composite High School in Stony Plain, Alberta; Emily Falk, founder of B.R.I.T.E., GEF’s Red Deer volunteer chapter; and, YOU – our donors – for your support and commitment to improving the lives of these courageous young women!

For decades, Somalia has been plagued by conflict, and in 2011 the situation was further complicated by the worst drought in the region in 60 years. With close to 1.4 million people internally displaced, women find themselves separated from their regular protection and support mechanisms: clans and communities. With these added pressures, women in overcrowded Mogadishu have few, if any, opportunities for leisure and must create new networks of support to overcome difficult times.

Hoops for Hope II Project Overview

The Global Enrichment Foundation is partnering with the Elman Peace and Human Rights Centre (EPHRC) in Mogadishu, Somalia, to provide funding for equipment and supplies for a female basketball team. EPHRC is a place of refuge for vulnerable women who are survivors of gender-based violence (GBV).

Your Donation

A donation of $250 will fully sponsor one team member by providing her with her own equipment, including everything she needs to succeed on the court: basketball, pair of running shoes, track suit, jersey, water bottle, personal hygiene kit, socks, sports bag, and a sports towel.

Donors will also receive a photo as well as a biography of their sponsorship recipient. Further into the season GEF will produce a video of the team in action, to track its success and to highlight the immense difference that sponsors have made in their lives.

All donations are welcome, from $5 to $250, or more. Every dollar will bring joy and empowerment opportunities to Somali women who have already overcome extreme obstacles, and will help them build a brighter future together.

Program Background

In April 2011, the Global Enrichment Foundation (GEF) sponsored the Abaarso Tech High School girls’ basketball team – the first female high school team to be sponsored since the civil war erupted in Somalia in 1991. Basketball’s positive impact on these young women’s lives (witnessed here http://vimeo.com/33915378) encouraged GEF to identify other groups of Somali women who might be interested in participating and who would benefit from this team sport.

During a meeting with Fartuun Adam, who runs EPHRC, GEF team members learned of a group of 11 such women who have been playing together at a local sports club – without any of their own equipment or gear. Fartuun, who had arranged the weekly games, was eager to see them equipped with their own basketball uniforms and supplies. And Hoops for Hope II was born!

Sport Empowers

Somali activist Fartuun Adam runs EPHRC and sees first-hand that women in Somalia never get to have fun. GEF intends to help change that reality through partnership and support. The EPHRC basketball team is comprised of 11 young women aged 10 to 40 who are currently living in internally displaced people’s (IDP) camps in the Somali capital of Mogadishu. The vast majority of these women have been denied the opportunity to attend school, are unable to find work, and have very few possessions. In many cases, these women bear the stigma of being survivors of rape, and as such are ostracized by society. GEF and EPHRC hope to support and empower these women by providing them with an opportunity and the necessary gear to play basketball and to build a strong team together.

Many life lessons can be acquired through sport, including those related to teamwork, leadership, commitment and work ethic. By participating on this team, these women have an opportunity to build self-confidence, and most of all, have FUN! They will also gain a sense of belonging as they strengthen their relationships with each other and can be positive role models, inspiring other women in their community to push boundaries in order to reach their full potential – on and off the basketball court.

By seeking support and counsel at EPHRC, these women have already overcome oppressive social and cultural beliefs surrounding GBV. Through basketball they are taking further ownership of their own lives and, in doing so, empowering other women and their entire communities. These women are striving to create positive and sustainable change for their own future and for the future of Somalia.