ACCRA (Ghana) - Impact Youth Foundation is a sport for development non-profit organization using Basketball For Good in Ghana. Their aim is to use basketball as a tool to inspire, mentor and develop the youth’s leadership skills youths, providing opportunities that unearth their full potential.

Since 2009, they have implemented numerous camps and projects to promote good health and well-being as well as to provide equal opportunities for girls and underprivileged youths.

They are currently running a mentoring and support program, supporting youths in academics, sports and leadership. The program is a great example of Basketball For Good. It is implemented in a farming community on the outskirts of Accra.

This community only has an elementary school which is one of the contributing factors for the youths, especially the girls, dropping out of school at middle school level due to the expense of traveling out of the village for education. 

For this reason Impact Youth Foundation has joined hands with the community to build the Impact Lab educational center which serves as a middle school, vocational and technical school benefiting over 100 youths in the village and its surroundings.  

Impact Lab is providing youths of the community guidance, learning material and counseling so they can complete school. Furthermore, they have put in place activities to give them all necessary opportunities to be successful. The youths going through the program will learn to:

• Make a living: giving youths vocational skills and internship opportunities with the aim of guiding them towards employment
• Make a statement: providing them with sports skills training so they can not only improve and showcase their talent but also stay physically active and healthy
• Make a difference: challenging the youths to become problem solvers and leaders in their community with the aim to produce individuals who will bring transformation to their communities.

57 % of the girls enrolled in the Impact Lab program are girls.

Thanks to its partnership with Molten, the FIBA Foundation was able to donate basketballs to the Impact Youth Foundation to further their reach.

“The balls have greatly helped us to get more kids within our impact village access to a ball to play and practice with and develop their skills even during their own free time. This is helping us to keep the girls better engaged” explained Isaac Robert Kwapong, CEO of Impact Youth Foundation.

The FIBA Foundation is also continuing to assist with technical expertise to increase the use of 3x3 as a tool for development and change.