abacode

African Basketball Community Development

Marie-Eve Lemieux

ABaCoDe-Ghana

31/12/2011

Social Impact Report 2011


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Table of content

MESSAGE FROM THE FOUNDERS 3

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 4

PART I : OVERVIEW OF THE ORGANIZATION 5

The founders 6

Background 6

Problem Statement 7

The Organization 7

Our main activities 8

PART II : INTO THE INCUBATOR 9

Goal and activities 10

Our Vision 10

Our target groups 11

Method of documentation 12

PART III : RESULTS AND GOAL ACHIEVEMENT 13

Goal indicators 14

Children’s involvement 16

Girls’ involvement 17

Future Activities 18

Community Support 19

Children’s Personal Development 20

Financial Resource 21

Public Relations and Communication 22

PART IV : ANALYSIS OF RESULTS AND CONCLUSION 23


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MESSAGE FROM THE FOUNDERS

All over the world, the essential role of sports in children’s lives has been recognized. It can no longer be considered a luxury but is rather an important investment in the present and future.

Basketball is a great teacher; players learn to compromise, to persevere in their efforts and increase their self-esteem, self-respect and leadership skills. They learn to work as a team, and to respect others. We believe that ABaCoDe contributes to forming good citizens whom are better prepared to face challenges and be succesful in their day to day lives. We thank all of you for your support and would like to remind you that: « A world where children can play is a world where we all win! »

Mohammed Khaled Founder and Project Coordinator

Melem Marie-Eve Lemieux Founder and Country Director

« Welcome to our world promoting

Education through Sports! »


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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Playing is a leisure that the children of the world share, no matter their

age, no matter their history, no matter their race; it is universal. However,

the barriers to play are numerous. In Ghana, little is done to encourage

children to participate in organized activity. Children are rather engaging

themselves in dangerous activities. Recognizing that sports can be a

mean to promote education, health, development and peace,

ABaCoDe-Ghana is using Basketball as a tool for children to become

agents of change in their communities and positive leaders.

In order to impact the lives of children of poor and neglected

communities, ABaCoDe-Ghana has developed a triangle method based

on three pillars: Athletic Development, Academic Follow-ups and Personal

Development. In May 2011, ABaCoDe was chosen by Playing for Change

as one of the most promising social enterprise in Ghana. After one year

into the incubator, conclusions have to be drawned on the performance

of our program.

Our three year goal is that “the children’ performance and enrolment in

school will have increased as well as their leadership skills will be

improved”. Our main target is the youth –ranging from 6 to 17 years- within

deprived and marginalized communities of Accra.

The following report will present our findings and results after completing

one year of operation. The goal is to measure to what extent we are

achieving our goals and objectives, the challenges encountered and find

solutions to better fulfill our mandate.


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PART I : OVERVIEW OF THE ORGANIZATION

ABaCoDe is a Non-Profit Organization that aims to empower

African communities by nurturing young players so they may

become agents of change. Through the implementation of

sustainable basketball programs, we contribute to their

development and empowerment.


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The founders

The Organization was founded by two sports enthousiasts: Marie-Eve Lemieux, a

Canadian who, after completing her master degree in International Development, went

to establish herself in Ghana and Mohammed Khaled, whom provides insightful advices

on our adopted community and is dedicated to share his passion for Baskteball.

After realizing that little was done in Ghana to encourage the youth to positively use their

energy and being basketball lovers, we decided in January 2011 to start a „Saturday

basketball league‟. At first, it was for the pleasure of it, but the number of children

involved kept increasing continuously. We went from 50 to over one hundred children in

the span of 4 months.

However, as it turns, our journey was only beginning. In May 2011, ABaCoDe-Ghana was

chosen amongst 4 other projects as one of the most promising social enterprise in

Ghana. The fellowship was received by Playing For Change Sweden, an organization

linking the corporate world with social entrepreneurs in selected countries.

Background

Every child has the right to play.

Playing is a leisure that the children of the world share, no matter their age, no matter

their history, no matter their race; it is universal. According to Secretary General Ban Ki-

Moon, „Playing is a language every one of us can speak‟. With time, it has even become

an obligation of the States.

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the most approved and recognized

international convention, stipulates in its article 31:

That States shall recognize the right of the child to rest and leisure, to engage in

play and recreational activities appropriate to the age of the child and

participate freely in cultural life and arts.

That States parties shall respect and promote the right of the child to participate

fully in cultural and artistic life and shall encourage the provision of appropriate

and equal opportunities for cultural, artistic, recreational and leisure activity.


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Problem Statement

More and more, international organizations are looking to sport as an instrument for

reaching developmental goals such as the well-known UN Millennium Development

Goals (MDGs). According to Sport and development 2010,

« Sport is considered to be beneficial in developing social and emotional

competencies by nurturing individual traits including self-esteem and

communication skills, as well as instilling values such as fair play, teamwork

and tolerance ».

However, the barriers to play are numerous. In Ghana, little is done to encourage kids to

participate in organized activity. Children will gather on an empty ground and practice

traditional sports such as football and ampe. However, often times those activities are

not being monitored and therefore frequent verbal and physical aggressions are being

displayed. That being the case, though sport provides a safe space for coming together,

it can also be an arena for hostilities, selfish displays and exacerbate the exclusion of

more vulnerable children. Playing in an inclusive, healthy and free of conflict

environment is one of our main goals.

Also, when children cannot occupy their spare time with positive activities, they may be

prone to engage themselves in dangerous activities that add costs and burdens to the

society; such as crime, violence, teenage pregnancy and the practice of hazardous

work.

The Organization

According to the 2003 resolution taken by the UN Assemby General, sport can serve

many different purposes. In fact, sport is presented as a mean to promote education,

health, development and peace. In practicing sport, we should aim at advancing

health awareness, promote the spirit of achievement and to entrench collective values.

(A/RES/58/5)

Our vision is to give youth the tools they need to become agents of change and positive

leaders in their communities through Basketball and other community development

effort.


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Through play, we focus on 5 core values:

Leadership. We believe the children can influence change in their

community.

Teamwork. In any collective sport, players have to work hand in hand to

achieve a common goal. The victory depends on the effort of all.

Commitment and Perseverance. Players have to commit themselves to

train on specific days and make sacrifices for the benefit of the team.

Respect. Coming from different backgrounds, we learn how to respect

individual differences as well as respect the rules established by the team.

Self-esteem. We are teaching the kids to trust in themselves, to stand up for

what they believe and resist peer pressure.

Our main activities

Basketball. Different teams have been established, reaching approximately 160

children. From Monday to Saturday, children are enjoying our free basketball lessons with

trained coaches. We are also providing shoes and jerseys for children to borrow during

the training sessions.

Lifeskills training. It is mandatory all of the participants to take part in the 5 session

trainings on the 5 core values that ABaCoDe cherishes that we call Lifeskills training.

Academic follow-ups. To help children with difficulties and improve their

performance in school, children are being monitored by our ambassadors. They

participate in homework clubs, set objectives for themselves and have their teachers

and parents report on their behavior and performance.

Community clean-ups. Since one of our objectives is for the kids to engage

themselves in their community, they are encouraged to participate in any community

efforts that would require their help such as community clean ups.

Hosting volunteers. The organization truly benefits from the help of our volunteers that

come from all over the world. During their placement, they carry out projects and teach

the kids. This initiative encourages cultural exchanges.

« Sport challenges children to excel physically and

mentally, and teach valuable skills such as leadership,

hard work and perseverance which translate beyond the

playing field to all aspects of life. »


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PART II : INTO THE INCUBATOR

Playing for Change invests in social entrepreneurs

who help children and youth to a better life. P4C is

following a rigorous method to assist its PLAYMAKERS. The

Pathway of change is a framework that helps us propel

our program‟s visions into actions.


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Goal and activities

Our three year goal is that “the children’s performance and enrolment in school will

have increased as well as their leadership skills will be improved”. To measure the

success of this stated goal, many indicators, objectives and outcomes were established.

In order to reach that goal here are the activities that were planned.

Our Vision

Creating a vision is an important asset to an organization as it describes where the

organization wishes to go. ABaCoDe‟s vision is motivating us and inspiring us on a daily

basis.

“Our vision is to give the youth the tools they need to

become agents of change in their community; through

Basketball to build their characters and minds to become

positive leaders.”

Fundraising and PR Activities.

BasketBall Teams.

Day Camp.

Role Model Speaking Series.

Community Development Efforts.

Study Hall.


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Our target groups

The group of people targeted by our activities, also known as target groups, are multiple.

Our main target is the youth –ranging from 6 to 17 years of age- living within deprived

and marginalized communities of Accra. They are also the main beneficiaries of our

activities. However, other target groups that are essential to youth development were

identified. They all play a different and important role in the organization; the Basketball

ambassadors that are being trained and getting coaching experience, the parents

which are the most important adults in the children lives, the teachers who will help

follow up on the children‟s #behavior and academic performance and finally the

community leaders, whom are happy to associate themselves to our program. Since we

want the youth to make a difference in their community, the community itself, as a

whole, is also part of our target groups.

The Community

Youth

Parents Ambassadors

Teachers Community Leaders


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Method of documentation

There are numerous methods of documentation. Depending on the activities, the

indicators observed and the type of results being seeked, various methods can be

chosen. Good documentation is essential to every organization as they are a proof of

your achievements. For ABaCoDe, various means were used.

In the table below, the methods used by ABaCoDe are being listed.

Pictures

Surveys for parents

Surveys for participants Training Manuals

Attendance List

Players Report Cards

Teachers

Monthly Reports

Players|Volunteers|Staff

Profiles

« My objectives »

Players Form

Basketball Skills

evaluation

Community service

hours


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PART III : RESULTS AND GOAL ACHIEVEMENT

“Increase the performance and enrolment of

children in school, and improve leadership skills.”

This main goal is in line with our vision and will be

executed over a three-year period.


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Goal indicators

The indicators are described below together with our results after having completed one

year within Playing for Change‟s incubator.

Indicator 1: Children are able to organize themselves.

During the last twelve months, the children have learned to be more responsible and

are now able to organize themselves without the help of coaches. This display of

empowerment demonstrates their growing leadership skills. As an organization, we have

established a routine that helps the children know what they have to do. For instance,

when they arrive, players wear their socks and enter the office to pick up their shoes.

One of them will then collect the practice jerseys and distribute them. Guided by the

team leaders, the players will start the warm up and the stretching exercises. Also, when

signs of indiscipline are seen, the other players will intervene and talk to their teammates

in order to get their concentration back.

Indicator 2: Teachers/parents/community leaders notice improvement in the

children‟s behavior.

A meeting was made with the parents on the 17th of December 2011. 27 parents were

present for the occasion, representing 37 children. The surveys filled by the parents

showed that 88% of the parents have noticed a positive change in their child‟s

behaviour. They commented that their child is more respectful, disciplined and more

helpful at home and has stopped roaming around. For the other 12%, they were saying

that their child was already displined.

Indicator 3: Number of children enrolled

The majority of our children are enrolled in school. However, there are other children

who are not enrolled in school in the community that sometime come to our location

but they either have to work for their parents/guardians or they show very little

commitment to the program. In short, they present many difficult challenges when

working with them. We are open to work with other organizations as we understand the


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importance and the benefits of being able to outsource to other organizations that offer

additional and more relevant support for these children. It is also worth mentioning that

a new project was conducted by one of our volunteers called „Voices of the voiceless‟.

We succeeded in raising 3,400$ which will be used to sponsor the young girls that work

around the basketball court by paying their school fees in order to help them to attend

school regularly.

Also a lot of our children are facing difficulties in schools, mostly in terms of their

academic performance. Most of their parents are illiterate and therefore do not

practice English anywhere except in the classroom. As an organization, we decided to

focus on that issue, wanting to increase their academic performance by rigorous follow-

ups and tutorials. Therefore a change of focus has been made for indicator 3.

Indicator 4: Counselors‟ reports from the Study Hall

The study hall is not a physical location. We use our office space to host the children

who are demonstrating difficulties with their homework. The homework club is not

mandatory yet but will become for some of the players depending on their results and

their teachers‟ recommendations. Each term, the players‟ reports are collected and

analysed and new objectives are set. We are still in search of teachers and tutors to help

us run the homework club that we run at the moment. Mostly, the children need help

with English (reading and writing) and Math, two of the essential subjects. The students

we have are all behaving well and they enjoy the one-on-ones however they do require

extra attention due to their learning difficulties.

Indicator 5: Regarding performance: Reports from teachers

In January 2012, a report form has been developed. Every month, every teacher will

complete a student evalutation. This report is based on three elements: Academic

performance, classroom behaviour and other comments. The signatures of the parents

and the teachers are asked. In order to use that form as an indicator, we needed to

identify our regular children i.e the ones committed to the organization. Out of the 160

children we have reached so far, only 70 can be considered as such. Therefore, all of

those 70 children have a file that records their basic information as well as their end of

term reports and selected objectives to work on. The first report from the teachers will be

collected at the end of February 2012.


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Children’s involvement

Goal: Children taking on responsibilities

The participants are divided into four different groups: U14, U17, Girls team and finally a

community team composed of children from all ages. Each team is given tasks that we

grouped into 6 different themes: Fundraising Team, Office cleaning Team, Equipment

cleaning Team, Homework Team, Water provision Team, Warm up Team and Coaching

Team.

In each team, players have to register under one of these items and commit to

completing the task. Each month, they will get the opportunity to change their tasks.

Their level of involvement and their dedication to these responsibilities are a day-to-day

effort and are important for the organization‟s success.

Objective: Create an environment contributing to the children’s development

where everyone feels welcome.

This specific objective is designed to allow us to increase the number and ability of the

basketball players in Nima. More children would be interested in and enjoying the

training sessions. In fact, we have new comers almost every day. However, after one

year, despite our growing popularity with the children and the incessant growing

numbers of participants, we have unfortunately reached the majority of the children that

we could have. Consequently, there is a need to expand to different communities. In

order to demonstrate the increasing number of players, we are keeping a record of their

attendance. The example of the girls‟ team is eloquent. We started with 6 girls and we

now have 24 committed girls whom are building friendships, learning to express

themselves, smiling and having fun amongst their peers.

The level of basketball of the kids has greatly improved since we started the program in

January 2011. The children are much more confident and organized when it comes to

basketball and we can definitely see basketball players in each of them. The results of

the games we have played can attest for their improvements but also our coaches‟ eyes

can appreciate it. The Basketball community in Ghana is also impressed by the

performances of our youngest team.

Over time, children developed confidence in themselves, trust in their coaches

and friendships with their teammates; they feel they are part of one big caring


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family. The children now feel confident to have discussions, suggestions, and even write

on the Abacode family facebook page with issues regarding the team or their personal

development. A survey was done in September and revealed that the children are

considering the coaches as their family members and when ask if they have a problem

who they would talk to, the second best answer after their parents was their coaches.

Objective: 150 children reached and 100 children committed to the BasketBall

Project.

According to our records and registration forms, we have reached approximately 180

children in one year of operation in one community. However, they are not all regularly

attending practices. Of that number, only 70 are committed to the organization and are

seen everyday. Mostly, some children have a lot going on academically with their

schools (Final year, difficulties in school, their school is in another region, etc.) and are not

all able to show the team the same level of commitment.

Girls’ involvement

Goal: More girls involved in activities and invite other girls to join

Over time, we have noticed that the number of boys who are committed to the

program outnumbers significantly the number of girls participating. This means that,

although the number of players keeps increasing, it is composed mainly of boys. Though

Ghana has made some improvements towards modernization, the practice of tradition is

still central. In other words, the man is seen as the main provider and the woman is seen

as the caretaker. Women are expected to cook, clean, wash as well as perform other

daily tasks. Therefore involving girls in basketball activities is not an easy task, despite its

importance. Parents are reluctant, hesitant and most of the times refuse that the girls

come for practice. When we met with the parents in December, the main concern was

that the girl child is not completing her chores when she comes for Basketball.

Consequently, in order to encourage support from their parents, we agreed that once

they finished their daily chores, they should come by the court and take part in the

training. In October 2011, a female team was introduced to ABaCoDe. We are proud to

state that we now have a team of 24 young committed ladies. They call themselves:

„Lady Soldiers‟.

http://playingforchange.se/en/followup/32/5/followup/10/goals/264/




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In addition to this new all-female team, we have launched a project called „Voices of

the Voiceless‟. This Photography Project activity involves interacting and portraying the

girls that sell around the court.

Future Activities

Objective: Establish a Day Camp that would be open Monday to Friday for three

weeks during School Breaks.

When we had the „Take off meeting‟ in April 2011, interests of setting up a Day camp

during School Breaks was expressed. A partnership with the Youth Cultural Center

working under the Ministry of Culture was also planned. Unfortunately, the YCC did not

get the resources they were hoping for and consequently a proper day camp could not

be set up. However, ABaCoDe did succeed in setting up practices and games everyday

from 9am to 1pm.

Being that the day camp was designed to keep the children out of the streets and

occupy their free time with constructive activities, our objective was met. Since Ghana is

visibly lacking recreational facilities for children, they are often found roaming the streets

and are engaging themselves in dangerous activities. Though the day camp was not set

up exactly as we expected, we think that the purpose of it was still respected: ensuring

that the children are evolving in a safe and healthy environment where their

development is put first.

Consequently, we have decided to change our focus. In other words, we are not

developing any more plans for a day camp but we will support any initiative in that

sense.

Objective: Establish a Study Hall for members that will be made available three

days a week.

The establishment of the Study Hall has encountered various challenges. In June 2011, we

found a location for our office at The Youth Cultural Center that also allowed us to use

their Performance Hall as the Study Hall. The goal was to set up homework clubs to help

the most deprived children improve their school performance. However, months into the

program, the Performance Hall is still without electricity and no teachers and tutors

were found. Consequently, we are helping some children to do their homework in

the small office we have. The other challenge we are facing is time. Currently our


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practices are being held from 3.30 to 5.30pm and therefore the time left for the

participants to do their homework is after practice. Being tired and hungry, the children

have trouble to concentrate and the parents are complaining that the children are

coming home too late. For that reason, as of January 2012, we will analyze their reports

and identify the most disadvantaged players as well as our strongest players in order to

launch a tutoring class. We are currently seeking volunteering teachers to help us.

Community Support

Objective: More parents and community members involved in the project.

Our first step towards increasing the parents‟ involvement was the Parents Meeting that

occurred on December 17th 2011. On that day, 27 parents were met, representing 37

children.

The parents were already aware that their children are part of an organization but most

of them never saw us and never took the time to come to the practices or other events

they were invited to. The survey that was produced on December 17th revealed that the

parents are too busy with work to come and see their children perform. However, they all

mentioned that they would like us to meet together every term in order to discuss new

developments and they invite us to call them more often to inform them of anything.

They also assured us that we have their support and should we need something, we can

contact them. Also, some parents have offered to cook for us and others would like to

give motivational speeches.

Outcome: Training of counselors

The training of counselors is intended to abilitate local staff to develop leadership skills

and help them become the pillars of the organization. In order to successfully facilitate

the training we developed a manual discussing the importance of sport and basketball

in ones‟ life. A book of exercises to be done with the players was also created, however,

as they say: „Practice makes one perfect‟. By interracting with the children everyday, we

are gaining more and more experience in guiding them, advicing them and

encouraging them.



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« Arafat was one of our coaches. After completing senior High

School, Arafat focused on playing basketball without having any

specific goals. Joining ABaCoDe taught him some important skills

and gave him the confidence to dream of becoming anything he

wishes to be. Today, Arafat is part of a training school that will

enable him to become a Prison Officer. Though we are sad to lose

him as a coach, we are proud to have him as a role model now. »

The training of the staff is also presenting some challenges. As it turns, a lot of people are

expecting to be paid for the training. However, the current resources of the organization

do not allow us to offer much pay. In order to address this issue, we are currently working

on a new scheme that will be interesting for coaches and players to join our program so

as to be trained as coaches.

Children’s Personal Development

Objective: Establish a collaboration with key adults involved in the child’s

development

The participants‟ parents were met in December to discuss various issues. Among the

subjects discussed, we introduced them to our new way of performing follow-ups;

monthly reports by teachers and parents that will be starting in January 2012. In summary,

the parents‟ meeting was the first step towards the achievement of our goal of

establishing a collaborative rapport between adults and children. We will now analyze

the kids‟ reports, set goals for the new term, have their parents and teachers sign it and

finally ensure that monthly follow-ups are taking place.

Outcome: Children inspired through the use of role models in the community

The organization is working hard to invite role models to talk to the children. The talks are

given by various people from different backgrounds: lawyers, University students, Former

basketball player, older Basketball players, taxi drivers, coaches, referees and parents.

Through these special presentations, great advice, inspirational speeches and wonderful

discussions are shared during these gatherings. Though the children enjoy the talks, it is

hard to measure the impact it has on them. A survey should be made in the future on the

appreciation of the discussion.


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In addition, we have developed a LifeSkill training manual on the organization‟s five core

values namely; Respect, Self-esteem, Teamwork, Commitment and Leadership. The

training is meant to happen every month and will be starting in February 2012.

Financial Resource

Objective: Raised awareness among potential sponsors affecting youth in Ghana

Marketing and fundraising strategies are an integral part of every successful organization.

Being that ABaCoDe is new to this field and despite our many achievements; there is still

a lot of work to be done. The first step was to print business cards, followed by the printing

and distribution of information brochures concerning the organization. Other events also

helped us to market our project such as the Tigo-ABaCoDe Basketball tournament that

gathered various media, basketball fans and artists. An appearance on The One Show

and in a TV commercial also gave us some media space to create awareness and

market our program.

However, it remains that not enough time was significantly dedicated to that aspect of

our work. Much more time and work has to be invested in such occasions so as to reach

the objective of maximizing our public exposure. To conclude should be noted that a

documentary on ABaCoDe is currently in progress and we would like to invite you to visit

our great website (www.abacode.org).

Outcome: Sufficient resources

Donations in terms of equipment have been very important for ABaCoDe this year. Over

20 balls were given, 35 pairs of shoes, jerseys in different colors for matches and

practices. We also have our own office and a study hall at our disposal. Thanks to our

volunteers around the world, a multitude of equipment is being shipped to Ghana

frequently to ensure the sustainability of the program. However, our need to recruit more

staff remains a priority.

Outcome: More sponsorships and 5000$ must be raised


http://www.abacode.org/




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One of the positive aspects of our program is that it doesn‟t require a lot of money. Most

of the equipment is given and our ambassadors are volunteers. However, in the long-

term problems may arise, especially with our plans of expansion. Although there is no

funding strategy in place yet, a volunteering programme is now being developed to

raise funds. As for now, we are still depending on the support of our friends and family in

Canada and Playing for Change. We also developed a database that lists potential

funders and donors. We submitted proposals and were able to get some positive

feedback and also gain access to other contacts in order to apply for funds. NAWA as

well as some private individuals also contributed a lot. In the last two months, 1,550$ was

raised. Thanks to our Calendar project, 3,400$ was raised to send some children to

school. However, a strategy needs to be further developed and we are seeking

someone to be focusing on this aspect on a fulltime basis.

Public Relations and Communication

Outcome: 3 blog entries & 7 tweets per week, 4 lectures

Blogging is a great way to keep records of our journey! When you reach a certain level

of accomplishment, you sometimes forget all the effort you put in and all the steps it took

for you to achieve it. Therefore we are writing blogs on a weekly basis. However, it is

sometimes not possible to publish them on time due to poor internet connection or other

activities and projects that need to be completed. In opposition to the blogs, Twitter is

not a network that we use. We feel that Facebook is much more effective.

The blog entries can be found on Playing for Change website

(www.playingforchange.se), our facebook page on ABa CoDe and finally our website at

www.abacode.org.

As for the lectures, they are done sporadiquely when teachers are showing interest. Most

of them are realized in a Private High School in Canada. The objective is to discuss social

issues in Ghana and to raise their awareness on the situation outside of their country. This

also creates a platform that opens discussions between peers on the ups and downs of

starting your own project/organization.

http://www.playingforchange.se/

http://www.abacode.org/


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PART IV : ANALYSIS OF RESULTS AND CONCLUSION

« Sport is a language everyone of us can speak ».

- Ban Ki-Moon, Secretary General of

the UN


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New development

Looking at this year‟s events, accomplishments and challenges, some modifications will

have to be made for the next Pathway of Change. In fact, one of our objectives was to

establish a Day camp that would last for three weeks during the school vacation. We

planned to run it with the help of volunteers from morning till afternoon doing various

activities. Although we recognize the benefits of this initiative, it remains that it would

require a lot of resources in terms of equipment, human and financial resources that

exceed our current access. Therefore, we decided to keep our focus on our Basketball

program that runs every day during the school break, although only in the mornings.

Also, a good number of children attend extra classes during these months of break,

adding another challenge to the establishment of the day camp.

Furthermore, looking at the lessons learned from this year, we decided to slighty change

the direction of the program for the upcoming year. First, we noticed that we have a

greater impact on the children from 8 to 15 years old. As much as the children are

enjoying the practices, we can‟t go on practicing for years and not participate in a

league type structure. A Basketball season is composed of a start and an end date,

complete with matches and championship that keep the coaches and players

motivated and inspired to keep progressing. However, it is difficult to find other teams of

the same age group to compete against each other. As a result, the children do not see

their improvements as often as ideal. Another indication is that the amount of kids seems

to have ceased increasing lately, which could mean that we have reached our

maximum of targeted youth in this community. Consequently, ABaCoDe will be looking

to expand to promote our core values and objectives as well as create a „league‟.

These community teams will undergo the same life skills training and be coached under

the same values of sportmanship as our first project in Nima.

Improvements

Looking back on this year, some objectives have not been fully met yet but will be

worked on in following months. This includes our close follow-up in school, initiative that

will be introduced in January-February 2012 and a form for teachers to report on the

players‟ behaviour in class and academic performances that will be put in place starting

February 2012. This monthly reporting technique will help us monitor and stay updated on

the children‟s improvements or difficulties as well as intervene should it be needed. Each

of the player‟s teachers and parents will be asked to sign the form. Also, since

January 2012, each player is setting academic and athletic objectives for

themselves. The parent as well as the player and the coach will sign this objectives


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sheet. These forms will be kept in the players‟ personal file and will also help us measure

the success of our project.

The close follow-ups will also help us determine, accordingly to the identified levels of

need, who will be part of the homework club located in the Study Hall. As it has been

presented earlier, various challenges were encountered during the process of

establishing the Study Hall. For instance, despite the parents not wanting their children to

come home late from practice, we have to do the practice before because of the

timetable of the court that we share with another team. Also we have not found any

volunteers to help us with the homework club yet. We will be looking for retired teachers

or expatriates that would be willing to generously give some of their free time to assist the

players with their studieas as per the determined schedule. Furthermore, the children in

need of tutoring will be identified thanks to the documents gathered (reports, objective

sheet, reports from teachers).

When it comes to fundraising, a lot of improvements have to be made. We have met

several times with our Canadian friends in order to discuss the issues and some solutions

were found. Firstly, the organization aims to increase the level of involvement and

number of basketball players within their society and companies. This year, we will be

launching a series of 3-on-3 corporative tournaments where companies form different

spheres will compete against each other. The formula is yet to be developed but we

believe it is a good way to involve the corporate world in community development and

find sponsorships for our many projects. Another strategy that will be launched in

February 2012 is to invite Basketball players from different country to volunteer abroad in

one of our projects in Uganda or in Ghana. Volunteers are asked to pay a placement

fee for this great experience and our organization offers support throughout the whole

process. The web page and information guide for volunteers are currently being

developed. However, other strategies should also be put in place in order for us to

become self-sufficient and be less dependent on donors, and sustainable in the long-

term.

Achievements

Important improvements have also been made when it comes to encouraging girls to be

more active and engaged in peer activities. We started with 6 regular girls and now we

have a team that is compased of 24 girls with their own coach and their own practice

time! Furthermore, we recognize this newfound rapport with our girls to be a great

platform in which healthy and informative discussions of matters relavant to girls

such as teenage pregnancy, early marriage, independance, etc. can take place.


26

Overall, we are very happy with the results from our first completed of operation. Happy

also because the many challenges that we encountered helped us become stronger

and gave invaluable lessons to learn from. Finally, we are proud to mention that 88% of

the parents present at the Parents‟ Meeting have noticed a positive change in their

child‟s behaviour. According to them, their child is more respectful, more disciplined and

more helpful at home. Parents are exceptionnaly supportive (98%) of the program and

see it as a way for their child to get a better future.

THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT!

ABaCoDe wants to thank all its supporters and well-wishers who

permitted us to take our first steps. Whether you contributed directly or

indirectly, you surely helped our organization to grow and benefit from

a bright future.

Being encouraged by people who believe in our ideas is the most

precious assets ABaCoDe has. We sincerely appreciate your Support.

« Education Through Sports »

- ABaCoDe Team


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ENCLOSED I :

THE VALIDATOR

STATEMENT


28


29

ENCLOSED II :

THE DOCUMENTATION FROM

THE LIVE REVIEW


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Survey for Parents on their wards

Have you ever been involved in a sports activity before or group activity? Yes No

I am happy that my child is involved with the team. I agree I disagree

Because my child is going for practices, he/she is not doing his/her chores.

I agree I disagree

Because my child is going for practices, he/she is not doing his/her homework.

I agree I disagree

My child is able to do his/her chores, homework and has time for practice.

I agree I disagree

My child is coming home from practices too late. I agree I disagree

Are you encouraging your child to be part of ABaCoDe? Yes No Sometimes

Why?

Do you support your child to be part of ABaCoDe? Yes No Sometimes

How?

What would you like your child to improve in terms of behaviour? School performance?

How do you see your child?

Stubborn Smart Shy Reserved Talkative

Lazy Leader Kind Helpful

Have you notice any change in your child’s behaviour since he/she joined ABaCoDe?

If yes what are those changes?

Do you wish to have more contact between ABaCoDe Staff and yourself?

If yes how?


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Do you have any skills that you could use to contribute to ABaCoDe’s success?

(Carpenter, nurses, give speeches/motivational talk….)

Do you come to see your child when we have events or games?

If yes, what do you like about it?

If not, why don’t you come?

What are some of the subjects you would like us to discuss with your child?

Meeting Schedule and Registration Form

1. Registration Parents should write their names and their child name on an attendance list

at the entrance.

2. Dance 3. Opening prayer

Ask one parent to pray for us.

4. Welcoming Adress Welcome all the parents to the meeting mentioning that parts of it will be

translated if there is a need. Mention that we are pleased to finally meet

them (though we met some of them already) as they are the most important

people in the child‟s life.

5. Introduction of the staff and the participants One by one we should mention our name, introduce the volunteers as well

and ask the parents to identify themselves and add the name of their child.

6. General information on ABaCoDe a. Foundation


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My story in brief followed by Moh‟s story. Given us the idea to join hands to

create something with our passion that could benefit children. David and Arafat

joined us in that adventure and we are hoping for more dedicated volunteer in

the future.

b. Mission

Our vision is to give youth the tools they need to become agents of change and

positive leaders in their communities through Basketball and other community

development effort.

c. Vision (The power of sport)

First, it is a right. The right to play. But there is much more to it. Practicing regular

physical activity is essential for the physical, social and psychological

development. Play keeps you happy and healthy. it helps them develop

different aspect of their lives and increases their self-esteem, self-respect and

leadership skills. According to Sport and development 2010, „Sport is considered

to be beneficial in developing social and emotional competencies by nurturing

individual traits including self-esteem and communication skills, as well as instilling

values such as fair play, teamwork and tolerance‟

Case study : Adam. Friendship, learning english.

For us, we are focussing on 5 core values :

- Commitment and perseverance : Players must commit themselves to train

certain days; even if they don‟t feel like it or are too busy. Time

management is very important for children to learn. It also implies that the

players will have to give up certain personal wishes and make certain

sacrifices for the group.

- Self-esteem : Self-esteem is the image and perception you have of

yourself. It is very important because it affects how you think, act and

even how you relate to other people. It is important to teach the players

to love themselves, to resist peer pressure, to stand up for what they

believe.

- Respect : Young players must learn to respect individual differences within

and outside their group and to respect each other. They also learn to

respect the rules of the game as well as the rules established by the team

and the coaches.

- Leadership : A leader has influence, a leader has a vision, a leader is

someone able to motivate and engage others to achieve a common

goal. Sport is teaching children those leadership skills that will encourage

them to be the change they want to see in their community and

influence their peers to also act towards those changes.


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- Teamwork : In any collective sport, players have to work hand in hand to

achieve a common goal. The victory depends on everybody effort and

effectiveness in fulfilling their roles. A team can only be as strong as its

weakest player. Therefore, the children have to work together, encourage

each other and contribute to everybody‟s success.

7. Main activities (Expectations) a. Basketball (practices, matches, shoes, coaching) b. Photography Project (for girls only, we are especially trying to

reach the girls who are working and/or not attending school)

c. Homework club (after practice, we help some of the children with

their homeworks)

d. Lifeskills training (address the children on various issues, role

model speaking serie)

e. Community clean ups (yet to be set up, we want the children to

be more involve in their community and show that they care)

f. Extra classes (when children are vacating, we wish to be able to

set up free extra classes in the morning with trained teachers, we will

keep them updated on that matter)

g. Expansion ( we are planning on expanding to different

communities and have teams established in various communities to

enable us to start a league and have championship between the

various communities.)

8. Questions or suggestions Time for parents to ask questions or make suggestions regarding new

activities, the improvement of the program or just have some clarifications.

9. Parents’ testimonials Ask the parents if they have something to share about the involvement of

their child with ABaCoDe. Change of behaviour for instance. Help us

convince resistant parents to allow their children to enroll in the team.

10. How can you be involved? Any expertise, skills you wish to share with us and with the children would be

appreciated!


34

11. Other points to discuss? Allow the parents to speak their minds one last time.

12. Ending address We thank the parents for their time. Tell them we will look carefully at the

surveys and the suggestions they made. We will try to have meeting like this

more often. They can contact us on the numbers they find on the information

sheet or come to visit us in the office.

13. Closing prayers Ask one parent to pray for us.

14. Refreshment

Registration form

Name of the child Parents name Signature Contact


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ENCLOSED III :

INCOME STATEMENT AND

BALANCE SHEET


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Income Statement

ABaCoDe-Ghana

Inception to year ended December 31, 2011

REVENUES GHC

P4C Sponsorship GHC 40,433.16

NAWA donation GHC 850.00

Online Donation GHC 572.40

TOTAL REVENUES GHC 41,855.56

EXPENSES

Salaries GHC 11,848.00

Administrative Fees GHC 813.00

IRS Taxes GHC 1,642.00

Rent GHC 300.00

Banking Fees GHC 230.08

Communication Allowance GHC 485.00

Transportation Allowance GHC 949.00

Provision of service Allowance GHC 1,735.00

Equipment GHC 2,841.40

Other activities GHC 1,579.00

TOTAL EXPENSES GHC 22,422.48

EXCESS (DEFICIENCY) GHC 19,433.08


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Statement of Financial Position

ABaCoDe-Ghana

As at December 31, 2011

ASSETS

Cash GHC 19,433.08

Equipment GHC 2,841.40

TOTAL ASSETS GHC 22,274.48

NET ASSETS

(UNRESTRICTED)

TOTAL NET ASSETS GHC 22,274.48


38

ENCLOSED IV :

OUR BUSINESS PLAN


39

The Founders

The Organization was founded by two athletes and sports enthousiasts: Marie-Eve Lemieux, a

Canadian who, after completing her master degree in International Development,

established herself in Ghana and Mohammed Khaled, a Ghanaian who provides insightful

advice on Nima, the adopted community. The idea came

after realizing that little was done in Ghana to encourage

the youth to positively use their energy and involve them in

organized activities. Being basketball lovers, they decided to

start a „Saturday basketball league‟.

Given the significant and consistent increasing number of

children involved -going from 50 children to 160 in the span

of 4 months, the management of ABaCoDe recognized the potential benefits of this initiative

and so they decided to take a step further. Our journey was only beginning. In May 2011,

ABaCoDe-Ghana was chosen among 4 other projects as the most promising social enterprise

in Ghana. The fellowship was received from Playing for Change Sweden, an organization

linking the corporate world with social entrepreneurs in Sweden, Ghana and Russia.

Our Vision

As an organization, our main goal is to give youth the tools they need to become positive

leaders and agents of change in their community through Basketball and other community

development efforts.

Our Mission

ABaCoDe Ghana is committed to make a positive difference in the lives of children and

youth. We strongly believe in inspiring and initiating change in the poorest and most

neglected communities of Accra through its children. By creating safe spaces for children to

play Basketball, we are encouraging children to be themselves and believe in their talents

and skills.

Through Basketball, lifeskills training and community development efforts, the members are

encouraged to take leadership roles in their community, become positive leaders, better

citizen and ambassadors of values.

« Education through Sport »


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Problem Statement

Every child has the right to play.

Playing is a leisure that the children of the world share, no matter their age, no matter

their history, no matter their race; it is universal. According to Secretary General Ban Ki-

Moon, „Playing is a language every one of us can speak‟. With time, it has even become

an obligation of the States.

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the most approved and recognized

international convention, stipulates in its article 31:

That States shall recognize the right of the child to rest and leisure, to engage in

play and recreational activities appropriate to the age of the child and

participate freely in cultural life and arts.

That States parties shall respect and promote the right of the child to participate

fully in cultural and artistic life and shall encourage the provision of appropriate

and equal opportunities for cultural, artistic, recreational and leisure activity.

More and more, international organizations are looking to sport as an instrument for

reaching developmental goals such as the well-known UN Millennium Development

Goals (MDGs). According to Sport and development 2010,

« Sport is considered to be beneficial in developing social and emotional

competencies by nurturing individual traits including self-esteem and

communication skills, as well as instilling values such as fair play, teamwork

and tolerance ».

However, the barriers to play are numerous. In Ghana, little is done to encourage kids to

participate in organized activity. Children will gather on an empty ground and practice

traditional sports such as football and ampe. However, often times those activities are

not being monitored and therefore frequent verbal and physical aggressions are being

displayed. That being the case, though sport provides a safe space for coming together,

it can also be an arena for hostilities, selfish displays and exacerbate the exclusion of

more vulnerable children. Playing in an inclusive, healthy and free of conflict

environment is one of our main goals.

Also, when children cannot occupy their spare time with positive activities, they may be

prone to engage themselves in dangerous activities that add costs and burdens to the

society; such as crime, violence, teenage pregnancy and the practice of hazardous

work. Children are the leaders of tomorrow; consequently, the way those children are

brought up will dictate the future of our society. When children are exposed to

violence, crimes and all sorts of deviant behaviours, they may be prone to repeat


41

them. In order to keep children and youth away from those activities, we need to

encourage them to pursue their education and to occupy their free time with

constructive activities where their safety, health and happiness are put first.

Our Method

« ABaCoDe is having at heart every aspect of youth development.

The goal is to create an environment where the Right to play of

the child is the main focus, where gender equality is put forward,

where children are seen as the future leaders and are given the

necessary priority today ».

« The three pillar approach »

Athletic development. ABaCoDe establishes basketball teams in poor and neglected

communities of Accra. Through the establishment of those teams, children are benifitting from

the experience of trained coaches three times a week for a period of two hours. In order to

reach out to more children, the children are provided with all the necessary equipment

(shoes, balls, jerseys). Teams compete against each other and take part in tournaments and

championships.

Youth Development

Athletic Development

Academic Follow-up Personal Development


42

Hosting Volunteers

Special events in Canada

Package for companies

Online Donations (& equipment) Playing for Change

Academic Follow-ups. To become member of any ABaCoDe team, there are

requirements. First, children are required to bring their end of term reports. Together with

ABaCoDe staff, the player reflects on his/her performance and set new objectives and ways

to achieve them. For children that have difficulties in class, tutorials and homework clubs are

established and lead by trained teachers and excellent students. Moreover, children must

have their teachers sign a monthly form reporting on their behaviour in class as well as their

academic performance.

Personal Development. That last component is essential to the youth development. A

lifeskills training focussing on 5 core values was created discussing Teamwork, Leadership, Self-

esteem, Respect and Commitment. Every month, children undergo one part of the training.

Parents are also met to follow-up on the children‟s behaviour at home and finally role models

are invited to address the children. In addition, players are expected to do community

service hours. Those hours can either be done in the community (e.g community clean ups)

or within the organization itself (e.g coaching, cleaning the office or the equipments).

Our business model

From sponsorships to special events, ABaCoDe can count on a variety of sources of

funds.

1) Hosting volunteers. Offering volunteering experiences has multiple benefits. It is

promoting cultural exchanges between different countries as well as

contributing to the Volunteers‟ development, learning more about

themselves, pushing back their limits.


43

2) Special events in Canada. ABaCoDe is benifitting from the resources of the head

office in Canada mainly managed by Nicolas Michaud, the founder of

ABaCoDe Canada and other Canadian volunteers. Fundraising events such as

tournaments, mountain climbing, selling of homemade wish cards, calendars are

organized. Private sponsors are also contacted as well as the media.

3) Package for companies. ABaCoDe is also looking for corporate sponsorships

mostly to renovate basketball courts, provide equipments and organize

promotional events.

4) Online Donations and equipment. The organization is benifitting from online

donations from friends, previous volunteers and other people interested in our

work. We also have to highlight the brilliant work of our former volunteers shipping

equipments to Ghana such as balls, jerseys, shoes and sporting clothes.

5) Playing for Change. Finally, we are extremely happy to count on the support of

Playing for Change, our main funders. P4C invests in social entrepreneurs

who help children and youth to a better life and is allowing us to concentrate

fully on the development of our project by providing salary funding and

professional advices.

Although some strategies are in place, we are open and looking for new ideas to

achieve sustainability and self-suficiency.

Our Uniqueness

ABaCoDe-Ghana is linking sports, academic and personal development. Our members‟

success in every aspect of their lives is our concern. Besides providing the children with

quality coaching to improve their basketball skills and their understanding of the game,

we also follow-up on their academic performance. We strongly believe that the values

instill by our organization will empower the participants to become better citizens and

successful individual. In addition, in order to make a positive impact on the society, we

are counting on the players to become active members of the society by inspiring and

initiating change and by educating and influencing their peers positively.

“When children our joining our program, they are

also taking steps towards a better future”.


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Further development

ABaCoDe is wishing to expand its activities to the poorest community of Accra,

Jamestown and various other communities as well. To replicate the project, the same

steps taken to set up the Nima project will be realized. Our priority for this expansion is to

find the perfect location and call upon potential sponsors. The fact that our activities

requires a playground, getting a land is very important and yet difficult and expensive to

acquire. We will have meetings with local leaders, chiefs, religious leaders and parents to

ensure their support and also explain some of the benefits the program will have for their

children and the community at large. Once we find the locations and the staff is trained,

the “Three pillars approach” will be ready to multiply itself in different communities.

The following calendar is detailing our activities planned for 2012. The calendar is flexible

and can be revised at any moment.


45

ScHoOl HoLiDaY

July August September October November December

Start of the 1st term

January February March April May June Start of the 2

nd

term

Start of the 3rd term

Holiday : Dec 23rd-Jan 2nd

ScHoOl HoLiDaY

Morning practices Evening practices and matches

Xmas Party

& Awards PaReNtS MeEtInG

Tutorials

Reports from

teachers

Extra classes

Objectives form|Reports

Awards

Values Workshop 4

Tutorials

Report from teachers

Skills evaluation

PaReNtS MeEtInG

Start of a league among our teams

Tutorials


Values Workshop 5

Values Workshop 3 Expansion in 2 new communities| New teams formed

Evening Practices and matches Morning practices

ToUrNaMeNt

within ABaCoDe

Branches

Tutorials


Evening Practices and matches

Objectives form

Players profiles Values Workshop 1 Values Workshop 2

Extra classes

Objectives form|Reports

Awards


Tutorials

Skills evaluation

Tutorials

Reports from teachers PaReNtS MeEtInG

Documents

abacode