Sport in Action
Sport in Action is a non-government funded project based around the development of sport. The Sport in Action Zambia Team has ten full-time staff fronted by an Executive Director, Clement Chileshe, with additional volunteer support recruited from the communities. Their strategy covers sport development and social development through sport. This strategy is centred on a series of projects in the community and at their headquarters in Lusaka. The team deliver development programmes out on the compounds and in non-government funded schools, lead workshops for adolescent girls and run festivals around sport, traditional games and fitness. All of these areas of delivery are underpinned with education on HIV/AIDS, child rights, alcohol and substance abuse. The life-skills learnt through the workshops aim to empower young people in Zambia to use sport and recreation as an outreach tool for communication, prevention, peer education on HIV/AIDS and the promotion of healthy life styles.
Just some of the 2009/10 Wallace Group students
Durham University established a partnership with Sport in Action five years ago and whilst we continue to support the project in many different ways Durham has now been joined by other Universities through the formation of The Wallace Group. This is a partnership involving the UK universities of Bath, Durham, Loughborough, Northumbria, Stirling and UWIC. These six universities work together on joint sport development projects that provide added value to the students of the partnership universities and to the communities in which they work.
The Sport in Action Zambia project is being developed in conjunction with UK Sport through the IDEALS (International Development of Excellence and Leadership through Sport) advanced programme. This innovative, ground breaking partnership has the potential to dramatically impact on the lives of thousands of young people living in and around Lusaka, as well as providing a life changing experience for the UK students taking part who will themselves be the leaders of tomorrow.
Sport in Action will also be the leading partner in the organisation of the 2011 African Youth Games which is due to be held in Zambia.
Durham University also works hand in hand with Sport in Action to assist in the development of facilities. Recently a new basketball court was erected at the Fountain of Hope, the site of one of Sport in Action's priority projects.
In November 2008 Sport in Action hosted their first ever awards dinner for unsung heroes in Zambia.
Team Durham sponsored two tables, allowing an additional 20 children to attend.
Dr. Kenneth Kaunda (First Republican President) speaking and behind him from left to right, Hon. Kenneth Chipungu, the Minister for Sport, Youth and Child Development, Dr. Julius Sakala, Chairman for the National Sports Council of Zambia, Mr Clement Chileshe, Executive Director of Sport In Action and Mr. Smart Mwitwa, Chairman of Marketing and Fundraising Committee for National Sports Council of Zambia.
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