FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

AFH to Bring Six Professional, Olympic, Paralympic and Collegiate Athletes to Tanzania for Youth Sports Empowerment Program

WASHINGTON D.C.- On Tuesday, October 18, 2022 a team of nine (9) American athletes and staff from Athletes for Hope (AFH) and World Learning will travel to Arusha, Tanzania as part of a seven (7) day project, “Building Life Skills in Youth Through Sports: Program for Tanzania” geared to empower girls and young women through basketball and sport. This two-way exchange project is a collaboration through the U.S. Department of State’s Sports Diplomacy division in conjunction with World Learning and Athletes for Hope. The initial inbound event included ten (10) Tanzanian young women who participated in cultural, educational and sport-related exchange opportunities while in the Washington, DC area in January 2020.

The seven-day outbound program will include cultural and educational visits, and life skill sessions using the AFH Fit and Whole Being Athlete mental health curriculum conducted by American participants to support sports-based youth development projects in Tanzania. Each activity on the schedule is focused on increased leadership skills, encouraging positive mental health, confidence, inclusion, cross-cultural understanding, female empowerment, and youth development at the Orkeeswa School, in Monduli, Tanzania.

“It’s a privilege to continue to expand the global impact of Athletes for Hope in collaboration with World Learning and the U.S. State Department,” said AFH CEO Jason Belinkie. “We are thrilled to bring core elements of AFH programming to students and educators at the Orkeeswa School through our staff leadership and AFH Athlete participants.”

Athlete participants include Michelle Carter (Olympian, USA Track & Field), Awvee Storey (Coach, WNBA/NBA G League and retired NBA), Chastity Melvin (retired WNBA), Zavier Moore (Southern University Baseball), Lacey Henderson (Paralympian, USA Track & Field), and Megan Montefusco (NWSL, Orlando Pride).

For media inquiries please contact: Kylie Reeves (kreeves@athletesforhope.org) 919-593-7975

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Athletes for Hope

Founded by Muhammad Ali, Andre Agassi, Mia Hamm and nine other elite athletes in 2006, Athletes for Hope (AFH) is a cause-neutral non-profit that educates, encourages, and empowers athletes to find their passions and use their time to positively engage with their communities. Over the past 16 years, AFH has educated more than 10,000 professional, Olympic, Paralympic and collegiate athletes through its Causeway workshop series, and helped athletes volunteer with hundreds of underserved schools and impactful community organizations through core programs that focus upon helping underserved children become more physically active, changing the public stigma around mental health, and brightening the lives of children in hospitals. Through their dedication and passion for doing good, AFH athletes have positively impacted the lives of millions around the world. To learn more, visit www.athletesforhope.org.

World Learning

World Learning is a global nonprofit empowering people and strengthening institutions through education, sustainable development, and exchange programs. World Learning helps people and communities build brighter futures through six core program areas: people-to-people exchanges, global education, institutional strengthening, youth workforce and entrepreneurship, civic engagement, and TESOL | English teacher training. 

World Learning’s professional exchanges, such as the U.S. Department of State-funded International Sports Programming Initiative include networking opportunities with U.S. and international counterparts, site visits, and industry and community discussions. Programs emphasize experiential learning and leadership development and are customized to the needs and contexts of participants. Through exchange programs, World Learning helps the next generation of global leaders expand their sense of civic responsibility, establish relationships across ethnic, religious, and national lines, and develop the skills and knowledge to transform their communities and countries.

To learn more, visit www.worldlearning.org.

U.S. Department of State, Sports Diplomacy Division 

The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) fosters mutual understanding between the United States and other countries through international educational, professional and cultural exchanges. The Bureau promotes personal, professional, and institutional ties between private citizens and organizations in the United States and abroad, and presents U.S. history, society, art and culture in all of its diversity to overseas audiences. 

The Sports Diplomacy division (formerly SportsUnited) uses the international language of sports as a tool to promote tolerance, understanding and the peaceful resolution/prevention of conflict; to increase awareness among young people of the importance of following a healthy lifestyle and physical fitness in order to prevent illness, substance abuse, and negative behaviors; and to improve the quality of life for persons with disabilities by providing inclusive sports opportunities that contribute to the physical and psychological health of people at all ages who experience disabilities. To learn more about Sports Diplomacy, visit: https://eca.state.gov/programs-initiatives/initiatives/sports-diplomacy/sports-grants