Hot Coal Basketball Club on Friday donated a computer laboratory and state-of-the-art basketball court to LEA Primary School, Wuse Zone 3, Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the donations were part of a social intervention programme by the Hot Coal Hands of Care Project in commemoration of the 2022 Childrens’ Day Celebration.
Proprietor of the Club, Ubon Udoh, said the project was inspired by Naomi Kareem, a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member.
Udoh noted that the project was part of the foundation’s numerous social intervention projects and an avenue for the kids to access mentorship, learn life skills and imbibe discipline through basketball.
“First of all, Hot Coal Basketball as an organisation has what we refer to as, ‘The hands of care project’; this is how we do social development intervention projects because basketball is more than just a game, but also about adding value.
“So, in the past, we’ve embarked on trainings to address some health-related issues faced by basketball players and also held intervention programmes for orphanages; we’ve been doing this since 2014.
“So, we just had an opportunity to come and do something special here after Naomi (Kareem) approached us to help donate these facilities to the school as part of her Community Development Service (CDS).
“So, I am just happy that we were able to put this together,” he said.
Udoh noted that the initial idea was just to construct and furnish a computer laboratory for the school, adding that the construction of the basketball court was an after-thought
“It might interest you to know that the area where we chose to construct the state-of-the-art basketball court used to be a rubbish dump.
“Initially, our intention was to construct and fully equip a computer laboratory for the school, but my attention was drawn to the rubbish dump area when we visited the school and it wasn’t good enough for the hygiene of the pupils.
“So, we got permission from the head teacher to clear it and build this basketball court for the kids and you can see how excited they are about it,” he said.
Udoh assured of more support for the school, adding that the importance of carrying out projects such as these could not be over-emphasised.
“We always carry out a joint needs assessment of various schools across the country. So, we are going to still sit down with the school and see what else they might require.
“We will also determine if it is a project we can carry out alone or in partnership with the school as well as other corporate organisations.
“I think it is really important that we do things like these. This is more than just a basketball court.
“It is a place where the kids can dream, where they can believe in themselves, learn to be confident and boost their self-esteem.
“It is psychological as well as a physical safe space for them to grow and be nurtured through basketball, ” he added.
Mrs Grace Morenike, the Head Teacher of the school, said the project which was inspired by Kareem, was a result of an awareness programme embarked on by the school management to encourage the community to contribute to the development of the school.
“Initially, when I came to the school, I decided alongside the school management to undertake a School-based Management Board project.
“It is an avenue which we use to encourage members of the community, parents as well as the corps members who usually hold their CDS here, to be involved and contribute to the development of the school.
“This was how Kareem was inspired to help bring about this wonderful development to the school through the Hot Coal Basketball Hands Care Foundation.
“We are indeed very grateful to the proprietor who has indeed proven himself to be a great philanthropist,” she said.
Kareem, a serving corps member with the Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON), said she chose to embark on the project because of her love for humanity.
NAN
