Don Bosco Upanga
Ambassador Lenhardt Hands Over Basketballs to Don Bosco Center
December 31, 2009 Ambassador Alfonso E. Lenhardt handed over 25 basketballs to Don Bosco Center in Dar es Salaam at their year-end sports program for youth and adult soccer and basketball players held at Upanga. The durable street basketballs, a gift from the American people, were provided in support of Don Bosco’s youth sports program.
The U.S. Embassy sent three of Don Bosco’s basketball coaches, Mr. Dasse Makula, Ms. Angela Semwaiko, and Mr. Evarist Mapunda to the U.S., together with 16 other Tanzania coaches, to participate in the Sports Visitor Exchange Program in October 2009. The coaches attended clinics focused on youth programs and were offered ideas on how to increase youth sports in Tanzania. They visited primary schools, secondary schools, universities, youth centers and professional centers. They also saw other sports complexes and were briefed on what it takes to organize and run these types of facilities.
Presenting the balls to Don Bosco, Ambassador Lenhardt remarked, “Playing sports brings all of us together, eliminates our differences, and teaches us discipline, friendship, and the desire to improve ourselves through practice and hard work. Success in athletics helps reach achievement in the classroom.”
“We were proud to use this beautiful facility in 2008 for basketball clinics with visiting American NBA and WNBA superstars, Matt Bonner of the San Antonio Spurs and Olympian Jennifer Azzi.” Ambassador Lenhardt continued.
The U.S. Government financially supports Don Bosco–Salesian Missions as a PEPFAR youth prevention partner. Salesian Missions implements the “Life Choices Program” at 11 centers throughout Tanzania to provide HIV prevention messaging to teens via peer education and peer outreach.
Tony Parker, Point Guard for the San Antonio Spurs with Dasse, a Tanzanian basketball coach, during an NBA warm up game at the Spurs home court in Texas. Dasse is among the 20 Tanzanian basketball coaches that recently returned from a two-week coaching clinic in the U.S. sponsored by the American people. Dasse remarked, “I have learnt so many things from this trip--how parents, communities, teachers and children are all involved in sports. Sports is something that everyone in the U.S. values...”
Fr. Fritz Swai SDB
