KIRIBATI - Kiribati may not be the first nation you think of when mentioning basketball, many people wouldn't even know of its existence, but this isn't stopping the Kiribati Basketball Federation (KBF) from doing all they can to improve both the popularity of the sport and the health in their country.

The Kiribati Hoops for Health (H4H) program has touched thousands of lives over the past 18 months, in fact, they have had 7% of the country's population participate in their program. Gender equality can be an issue for many women throughout the Pacific, Kiribati's H4H program is doing their part to help change this is their country with 34% of participants being mothers or young women.

The program is fun for the children as they are outside playing but what a lot of the participants didn't expect is the amount of fun they would have learning the health messages associated with the H4H program. Each session has an educational element to it, helping Kiribati become a more active and healthier nation.

The work of these volunteers shows that the power of basketball knows no boundaries, it knows no borders and can be a major force for good in the world.

Kiribati's H4H program is made possible by the support of FIBA's Foundation and funding from the Australian Government through the Pacific Sports Partnership Program.

FIBA