MIES (Switzerland) – FIBA and its Foundation believe that basketball can have a big impact on the quest for gender equity.

International Women’s Day is a global celebration taking place on the 8^th of March since 1911 to celebrate women’s social, economic, political, and cultural achievements. This day is also an opportunity to raise awareness and take a big step toward gender equity.

The FIBA Foundation  is confident that basketball can play a major role in achieving this goal. Therefore, the social arm of FIBA addresses this matter through its Basketball For Good programs by empowering young women through access to education, skills and opportunities, whilst ensuring equal gender distribution within its projects. FIBA Foundation supports and promotes programs such as Sport-Aid Development Trust, in Zambia which aims to increase young girls’ financial literacy, self-esteem, and confidence through the ‘Basketball for Girls Money Savvy Project’.

The Zambian entity has reached 824 girls so far through the implementation of workshops in 3 local schools. The Head Teacher of Mumbwa Primary School, Mr. Enoch Siame emphasizes the satisfaction around this initiative: “The schools were happy to be part of the program. Look! You have put smiles on the face of the learners”.

Basketball For Good initiatives align with FIBA’s desire to improve the role of Women in Basketball, making it one of its Strategic Priorities.

This is reflected in the different programs and campaigns led by the organization such as Her World Her Rules which is a unique project and social media campaign aimed at promoting women's and girls' basketball across the globe through various activities delivered in partnership with National Federations.

To make a wider impact, several prominent players of the game such as Satou Sabally or Gabby Williams were involved in the projects and National Federations are encouraged to take part by raising awareness and taking actions for girls and women in their respective countries.

Not only have measures been taken to increase the presence of females on the court, but also off the court, to improve gender equity within the National Federations and FIBA. Women in Leadership (WiLEAD) is a program providing an opportunity for talented and motivated women within the basketball family to improve their competencies, develop new skills, and empower their confidence.

“The knowledge that I received from the WiLEAD program is definitely something that I will take home, to all the women that are in our federation and our clubs. I have also let everybody know that this is a great program that FIBA is giving us” expressed Susanna Stromberg, a former participant from Finland.

 
Among all these initiatives, one particular story stood out from the others and illustrated the result of all these efforts. Jana Malbrook is a 28 years-old former basketball player from Seychelles who participated in the FIBA Foundation Youth Leadership program in 2021 and who has now become the President of the National Federation. As she could not pursue her career as a player due to 2 career-ending injuries, she has decided to dedicate her life to the development of basketball in her country.

In addition to Jana, the executive committee of the Seychelles National Federation also includes 2 other women respectively Chair of the Coaches Commission and Chair of the National Basketball Technical Committee. She believes that anyone should be given the necessary resources and support to overcome any obstacles.

If someone from a spec on the world’s map can do it, so could you. Have faith in yourself always and always trust your intuition, we women are built different, so be liberated!

To celebrate International Women’s Day, we invite you to share a post on the following link to honour the women who inspired you!

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The FIBA Foundation is the social and legacy arm of FIBA that addresses the role of sports and particularly basketball in society, preserving and promoting basketball’s values and its cultural heritage.

The FIBA Foundation believes that basketball has the power to empower, educate and inspire youth and facilitates this by implementing Basketball For Good projects around the world.

FIBA