The Australian government in its stride to contribute towards the enhancement of sports in the country has donated a grant of US$27,000 for the development and participation of school children in volleyball throughout the country.
The venture is in partnership with the National Sports Council of Sierra Leone.
The “Mass Participation and Promotion of the Game in Sierra Leone” project will be implemented in 12 Districts and 149 Chiefdoms over a two-year period, focusing primarily on staging a series of training workshops for volunteers, former and active sports people and it will also attract school teachers in the coaching and organization of the sport. The funding was made available through the Australian Sports Outreach Program (ASOP), which was launched in 2006 to assist predominantly Commonwealth countries in improving their sporting capabilities.
Launching the package at the Volleyball courts yesterday, the Australian High Commissioner William Williams said, “Through the Australian Sports Outreach Programme, I am pleased that we are able to make a practical contribution to the development of volleyball in Sierra Leone.”
He went on, “we hope that through this grant, the capacity of trainers, coaches and administrators will be increased,” he said. ASOP aims to enhance the capacity of local sports administrators, improve popular participation in sports, and promote a healthy active lifestyle among the population of those countries benefiting, while in Ghana it is also supporting the training of sports officials in athletics, boxing, volleyball, table tennis and handball.
Expressing thanks on behalf of the government was Deputy Sports Minister, Algassimu Jah, who indicated that he will monitor the disbursement of the grant for the successful implementation of the project.